Mumbai Police Suspend 253 Licences in Crackdown on Wrong-Side Driving
Mumbai Traffic Police have intensified a citywide enforcement drive against wrong-side driving following an incident in Andheri on July 15 that left eight-year-old Reva Pawar seriously injured. In a 21-day period during the special operation, traffic authorities suspended 253 driving licences and registered 290 First Information Reports against motorists driving dangerously against the flow of traffic.
The traffic department has adopted a zero-tolerance policy, moving beyond issuing standard monetary penalties. Under the ongoing drive across all 41 traffic divisions in the city, an average of 13 driving licences are being suspended and 14 criminal cases registered each day. Police are invoking relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and impounding the vehicles of violators.
Data released by the Mumbai Traffic Police reveals that 18,671 motorists were booked for wrong-side driving during the first seven months of 2026. Two-wheeler riders formed the vast majority of offenders, with 15,438 riders penalised, representing over 83 per cent of all recorded violations.
Police officials stated that many two-wheeler riders enter roads from the wrong direction to bypass red lights, avoid long U-turns, or escape congestion, creating severe hazards for oncoming traffic and risking head-on collisions. Enforcement numbers have risen sharply compared to prior years, with 12,814 offenders booked in 2024 and 11,761 in 2025, when most violators were let off after paying e-challan fines.
Suburban stretches have been identified as major violation hotspots due to higher traffic speeds and extensive service road networks. Ground enforcement personnel, e-challan devices, and CCTV monitoring systems are operating from morning until late at night, identifying and penalising between 700 and 800 wrong-side driving violations daily.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyanarayan Chaudhary confirmed the escalated measures, noting that driving on the wrong side poses a grave threat to human life. He stated that alongside licence suspensions and FIRs, substantial numbers of vehicles have been seized as authorities appeal to motorists to strictly observe road rules.
