Fact Check: No new Rs 20,000 penalty in AP for driving with earphones, old rules continue
GC Raja Ratnam, the deputy transport commissioner of Visakhapatnam, speaking to NewsMeter, confirmed that the viral message is fake.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 27 July 2023 4:36 PM IST
WhatsApp forward making the false claim
Hyderabad: A message is doing rounds on social media that claim that the Andhra Pradesh government, from August this year, will impose a fine of Rs 20,000 on those driving bikes, cars and autos wearing headsets or earphones.
The message is being widely circulated on WhatsApp.
(Courtesy: WhatsApp)
Several Twitter and Facebook users have also claimed the same. (Click here, here, here and here.)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false.
The Andhra Pradesh Transport Department commissioner has issued a statement rubbishing the fake circular doing rounds on WhatsApp. He said that under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, there is already a provision of charging a penalty of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 or six months imprisonment or both if anyone is caught driving wearing earphones or headphones.
GC Raja Ratnam, the deputy transport commissioner of Visakhapatnam, speaking to NewsMeter, also confirmed that the viral message about the Andhra Pradesh government imposing a fine of Rs 20,000 on those driving with headsets or earphones is fake.
The Fact Check unit of the Andhra Pradesh government took to Twitter to debunk the fake claim. It said that the state transport department has not made any new rules in this regard.
Hence, we conclude that the viral claim is false.
