India’s regulatory framework is undergoing a major overhaul. In its endeavour towards ‘minimum government and maximum governance,’ the government has introduced sweeping reforms in 121 Central Acts thereby amending more than 900 provisions. Built on the previous versions Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 (Jan Vishwas 2.0) is yet another effort to treat ‘regulatory cholesterol’ that had a potential chilling effect on doing business in India. In addition to its aim to ease the doing of business, the Union government has placed equal, if not more, attention to its necessary corollary – ease of living in India. Road transport being one among them.
Road transport in India is governed by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the rules made thereunder. While matters pertaining to ‘mechanically propelled vehicles’ fall under the concurrent list thereby conferring upon Union as well as state governments the power to make laws, the Act of 1988 provides an overarching framework of transport governance. The Act explicitly lays down the subject matters and distributes the rule-making power between state and the Union government. The Act prescribes, inter alia, eligibility criteria to obtain driving licence, compliances in respect of plying motor vehicles, offences and penalties therefore.
Given the crucial role transport plays for a country’s economy, the Motor Vehicles Act was not far from the radar of Jan Vishwas reforms. Prior to this, the law had already undergone drastic Amendments over the years, from the proliferation of faceless services through the launch of VAHAN and SARATHI to the addition of new offences. The amendments aimed to achieve a two-fold objective of transport governance – ease of access and compliance. In furtherance to this objective, the recent Jan Vishwas Bill introduced many changes in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Jan Vishwas 2.0 and CMVR Amendment 2026
Transport is at once a harbinger of mobility and a harvester of mortality. The urgency of this duality is borne out by numbers – according to “Road Accidents in India- 2023” published by MoRTH, India recorded over 4.80 lakh road accidents resulting in over 1.72 lakh fatalities. The very network that fuels India’s growth also magnifies its vulnerabilities, and therefore, India’s story has to be a tale of balance between enabling movement and enforcing discipline.
In addition to several minor omissions and insertions, Jan Vishwas 2.0 brought notable changes in the Offences and Penalties part of the Act of 1988. The shift from ‘offence’ to contravention, ‘fines’ to ‘penalties’ and warning instead of penalty for first offenders as a general provision for punishment. It replaces fines with penalty for minor contraventions such as travelling without pass or ticket, failure on part of conductor to check pass or ticket, issuance of RC and fitness certificate to oversized vehicles, driving when mentally or physically unfit to drive, using vehicle without permit, driving vehicle exceeding permissible weight, carriage of excess passengers, driving without seat belt, carrying more than two person (including driver) on a two wheeled motor cycle, driving without helmet, use of horn in silence zones or needlessly sounding horn, first time offenders for failing to allow free passage to emergency vehicles etc. It is pertinent to note that these changes have been made in compoundable offences and are not limited to decriminalisation, as it also rationalises the quantum of penalty, which is commensurate with the contravention.
The shift from fine to penalty indicates a legislative intent, that is, to limit the backlog of cases on petty matters which can be settled at administrative level. This administrative expediency in levying penalty can serve as a potential deterrent against the violators. This is further evidenced by the fact that prior to this bill, the government had already tightened the enforcement lever for issuance and payment of Challan by introducing the Central Motor Vehicles (Third Amendment) Rules 2026, whereby it fixed a timeline for delivery of Challan to the offender within 15 days by physical means or within 3 days by electronic means. Further, it fixed a 45-day timeline, starting from the date of issuance of the challan, to accept or contest the challan, failing which it is deemed accepted and the person becomes liable to pay the challan within the next thirty days. In the event of default, the services pertaining to licence and RC will be paused, and the vehicle will be flagged as ‘not to be transacted’ on the portal until the Challan is paid. Moreover, the licensing authority can disqualify or revoke the license of an offender who commits five or more offences or contraventions in a period of one year starting from 1st January 2026.
Read together, the Jan Vishwas Bill 2026 and CMVR Amendment 2026 reflects a conscious government approach towards strengthening institutional capacity by shifting minor contraventions to administrative settlement while leaving the serious violations to be dealt with by the judiciary.
Nathishia Chandy and Siddharth Jha are Research Assistants and Ankeetaa Mahesshwari is the Regional Director - West at Pahlé India Foundation.
