Telangana cancels car vehicle registration for a year after minor drives on busy road

The Telangana Transport Department on Monday (July 13, 2026) cancelled the registration of a vehicle for one year after it was allegedly found being driven by a minor and accompanied by Police Sub-Inspector, on a busy road in Narsingi.

The action comes a day after the Sub-Inspector Pujari Thirupathi was booked after his granddaughter was seen driving the car on the Gandhamguda-Bairagiguda road in Narsingi.

The Transport department said the action was taken under Section 199A(4) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Officials warned that owners or guardians who permit minors to drive would be deemed guilty under the law and liable for punishment, while the minor would be ineligible to obtain a driving licence until attaining the age of 25 years. 

Thus far, the department said it had cancelled 4,070 vehicle registrations across Telangana during the last financial year for allowing minors to drive, reflecting strict enforcement of the legal provisions.

Directions to officials

As regards enforcement of this specific section of the MV Act, the Department had issued a circular on October 25, 2024 which went into how the implementation mechanism for Section 199A must be rolled out. The circular directed officers to seize the vehicle registration certificate of vehicles driven by juveniles, forward the juvenile’s particulars to the registering authority, initiate proceedings to cancel the vehicle’s registration for 12 months after due process, record the juvenile’s details in the database to ensure they are not issued a learner’s or driving licence until they attain the age of 25 years.