Section 210 Motor Vehicles Act: Courts to send intimation about conviction

Section 210 of Motor Vehicles Act: Motor Vehicle Regulation & Claims Procedure

Official Bare Act Text

Override / Mandate Mens Rea (Intent) Actus Reus (Conduct) Punishment Limitation Monetary

Every Court by which any person holding a driving licence is convicted of an offence under this Act or of an offence in the commission of which a motor vehicle was used, shall send intimation to

(a) the licensing authority which issued the driving licence, and

(b) the licensing authority by whom the licence was last renewed, and every such intimation shall state the name and address of the holder of the licence, the licence number, the date of issue and renewal of the same, the nature of the offence, the punishment awarded for the same and such other particulars as may be prescribed. [210A. Power of State Government to increase penalties. Subject to conditions made by the Central Government, a State Government, shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify a multiplier, not less than one and not greater than ten, to be applied to each fine under this Act and such modified fine, shall be in force in such State and different multipliers may be applied to different classes of motor vehicles as may be classified by the State Government for the purpose of this section.] [210B. Penalty for offence committed by an enforcing authority. - Any authority that is empowered to enforce the provisions of this Act shall, if such authority commits an offence under this Act, shall be liable for twice the penalty corresponding to that offence under this Act.] [210C. Power of Central Government to make rules. - The Central Government may make rules for-

(a) design, construction and maintenance standards for National highways;

(b) such other factors as may be taken into account by the Court under sub-section (3) of section 198A;

(c) any other matter which is, or has to be, prescribed by the Central Government.] [210D. Power of State Government to make rules. - The State Government may make rules for design, construction and maintenance standards for roads other than national highways, and for any other matter which is, or may be, prescribed by the State Government.] Chapter XIV Miscellaneous

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 210

Section 210 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 imposes a mandatory statutory duty on criminal courts to endorse particulars of motoring convictions on driving licences and communicate them to licensing authorities, establishing pan-Indian accountability to eliminate duplicate licences and track repeat vehicular offenders.

Mandatory Judicial Intimation of Conviction: Section 210(1) commands every court convicting a person holding a driving licence of any offence under the Act to send formal intimation of the conviction to the licensing authority that issued or renewed the licence and to the licensing authority having local jurisdiction.
Judicial Endorsement of Disqualification on Licences: Section 210(2) empowers the trial court to endorse particulars of conviction, disqualification periods, and licence cancellations directly upon the physical licence or its digital record in the central VAHAN/SARATHI database.
Integration with Central National Register: Creates an institutional mechanism ensuring that disqualifications ordered by courts in one State are instantly transmitted to transport databases across all States, preventing disqualified drivers from obtaining fresh licences in other jurisdictions.

Key Landmark Precedents:

National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Swaran Singh (2004) 3 SCC 297: The Supreme Court noted that the statutory machinery of Sections 19, 21, and 210 is designed to maintain comprehensive public records of driver disqualifications, holding that judicial endorsements prevent repeat offenders from endangering public roads.
P.T.R. Exports (Madras) P. Ltd. v. Union of India (1996) 5 SCC 268: The Supreme Court recognized that inter-agency communication and mandatory statutory reporting between judicial courts and administrative authorities are essential to maintain regulatory integrity and prevent statutory evasion.

Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

In defending professional drivers facing suspension, monitor the compliance of court registries with Section 210. When an appellate court stays a conviction or licence disqualification under Section 389 CrPC (or BNSS), immediately obtain an authenticated certified copy of the stay order and file it with the RTO to prevent wrongful automated blacklisting on the SARATHI portal.

Section 210: Courts to send intimation about conviction

Section 210 of Motor Vehicles Act: Motor Vehicle Regulation & Claims Procedure

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 210