No jail for first-time traffic, pollution offences? Government proposes shift to fines

In a major push towards decriminalisation, the Centre has proposed removing jail terms for first-time violations of road safety and pollution norms, replacing them with monetary penalties under the proposed Jan Vishwas Bill, Dipak K Dash and Sidhartha’s Times of India report said.

The bill, which seeks to amend 79 central laws covering 784 provisions, aims to reduce criminal liabilities for minor offences and improve ease of doing business.

Under the proposal, first-time offenders driving vehicles in violation of road safety or air and noise pollution norms will no longer face imprisonment of up to three months. Instead, they will be liable for a fine of ₹10,000 and disqualification from holding a driving licence for three months.



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However, repeat offences will continue to attract stricter penalties, including imprisonment of up to six months along with a fine of up to ₹10,000.

For noise pollution violations, the bill proposes a warning for the first offence, with subsequent violations inviting penalties of up to ₹10,000.

The proposed amendments also extend to the power sector. Non-compliance with provisions under the Electricity Act which currently carries a jail term of up to three months and a fine of ₹1 lakh is set to be converted into a monetary penalty ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹10 lakh.

Additionally, the government has proposed mandatory compounding for first-time cases of power theft, meter tampering, or interference with licensed works, enabling one-time settlements without criminal prosecution.



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In a move offering relief to homebuyers, the bill proposes removing the provision of up to one year’s imprisonment for allottees who fail to comply with orders of the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. Instead, penalties may be increased to as much as 10% of the property cost.

The decriminalisation push also covers Indian Railways. Unauthorised hawking in trains, which currently carries a jail term of up to one year along with a fine of ₹1,000–₹2,000, is proposed to be converted into a penalty of up to ₹2,000.

The Jan Vishwas Bill is part of the government’s broader effort to reduce legal burdens for minor violations while retaining stricter consequences for repeat offences.

With inputs from TOI