Section 206 of MVA : Section 206: Power Of Police Officer To Impound Document

Explanation using Example

Imagine a scenario where a traffic police officer stops a vehicle at a routine checkpoint. The driver presents a vehicle registration certificate that appears to be tampered with. The officer, suspecting that the document might be forged (a false document as per section 464 of the Indian Penal Code), invokes Section 206(1) of The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The officer seizes the suspicious registration certificate and asks the driver to explain how he obtained such a document.

In another case, a driver is stopped for reckless driving, which is an offence under the Act. The officer believes that the driver might flee and not appear in court when summoned. Under Section 206(2), the officer seizes the driver's licence and sends it to the court. The driver is issued a temporary acknowledgment, which allows him to drive until the first court hearing where the licence will be returned.

For the above reckless driver, if the court hearing is postponed and the licence cannot be returned by the date on the acknowledgment, the driver may apply for an extension as per Section 206(3). If the officer is convinced that the delay isn't the driver's fault, the period of authorization to drive can be extended.

Lastly, if a driver is caught committing a serious traffic offence like drunk driving (covered under sections such as 185), the officer can seize the licence and initiate proceedings for disqualification or revocation under Section 206(4). The driver receives a temporary acknowledgment, but unlike in the previous subsections, this acknowledgment does not allow the driver to operate a vehicle until the licence is returned.