Kozhikode: Youngsters aged below 18 years who are nabbed for driving motor vehicles will now receive learner’s and driving licences only after they turn 25. The legal procedures implementing this crucial decision related to juvenile driving were incorporated by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) in the ‘Parivahan’ website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH) through a software update recently.

The revised rule says that a minor who faces legal action for driving a vehicle should not be granted a licence until that person is 25 years of age. As per the rule, which was amended in 2021, the police or the MVD would present the minor found violating the rule before a juvenile court.

However, juveniles facing legal action could obtain a driving licence when they turn 18 from the state or other regions of the country. With the latest software update, these youngsters will not be able to secure a driving licence from anywhere in India before the age of 25.

A minor could be slapped with a fine of up to Rs 25,000 for driving a vehicle without a licence. Additionally, the minor’s guardian could be sentenced to a maximum of three years’ imprisonment and imposed with a fine of Rs 25,000 for the offence.

The registration of the vehicle which was used for the violation will also be suspended for 12 months. Similarly, the minor could also be punished under the Juvenile Justice Act of 2020.