Kerala Man Fined For “Riding Without Sufficient Fuel”

In what is a rather bizarre incident, a biker in Kerala was issued a traffic chalan for “Driving without sufficient fuel with passengers” by traffic police. The incident came to light when the mane, Basil Syam, shared a photograph of the chalan on social media with the image subsequently going viral.

As per reports, Syam was astride his Royal Enfield Classic 350 on his way to work when he was flagged down by the traffic police for travelling in the wrong direction. He was subsequently issued a challan for Rs 250 and sent on his way. On reaching the office he discovered he had been fined for “Driving without sufficient fuel with passenger”.

Where things seem to get interesting is that the challan issued is for an offence targeted at commercial vehicles in the state of Kerala. As per the Kerela Motor Vehicle Rules, commercial vehicle drivers “shall not knowingly drive the vehicle when it or any brake, tyre or lamp thereof, is in a defective condition likely to endanger any passenger or other person or when there is not sufficient fuel in the tank of the vehicle to enable him to reach the next fuel filling station on the route.”

Furthermore, the rules state that commercial vehicles transporting passengers cannot be refuelled while having a fare on board.

The rule, as far as we can tell, does not apply to private ownership vehicles with the entire incident likely stemming from an incorrect challan being issued.