Gurgaon: An FIR has been registered against an unknown person under the Motor Vehicles Act in connection with a traffic challan case involving a minor, after Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) pulled up police for failing to act against the vehicle’s owner or the juvenile’s guardian despite clear legal provisions holding them accountable.The case stems from an incident on Feb 3, when a 16-year-old boy was intercepted near Fawara Chowk in Sohna after officers noticed the loud noise from a modified silencer on the Bullet motorcycle he was riding with a pillion passenger. The teenager failed to produce a driving licence and abandoned the bike at the spot. His father, an advocate, arrived shortly after.The matter was taken up before the JJB, where the minor was declared a child in conflict with law by the area magistrate on April 17. During proceedings in the challan case, principal magistrate Jyoti Grover questioned challaning officer SI Rajbir on whether any investigation had been conducted against the vehicle owner or guardian of the juvenile, and why neither was made an accused in the case. The officer failed to provide satisfactory answers.The board directed police to register an FIR against the father of the juvenile within 24 hours and submit a final police report before the area magistrate following investigation.Accordingly, Sohna City police registered FIR No. 215 on May 20 — a day after the board’s directions of May 19 — under Section 199A(1) of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, which holds the guardian or owner of a vehicle liable for offences committed by a juvenile and provides for punishment accordingly.No one has been named in the FIR. A senior police officer said the investigation is now focused on establishing legal responsibility. “We have registered the FIR against an unknown person because the registered owner of the bike is one Krishan, while the minor’s father’s name is different. Notices will be sent to both. The concerned person will be nominated during the course of the investigation,” the officer said.Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act makes guardians or vehicle owners liable when a juvenile is found committing offences under the Act. The provision prescribes up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000 in certain cases. It further provides for cancellation of the vehicle’s registration for one year and bars the juvenile from obtaining a driving licence until the age of 25 in specified circumstances.
