Recently, the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department revoked the license of a YouTuber for performing stunts on a public road. The MVD officer who canceled the driving license of the vlogger, who goes by the name Sanju Techy, has now come forward with reasons explaining why the license was canceled for life.
The Immediate Issue Behind The Controversy
The YouTuber and his friends had converted the cabin of a Tata Safari SUV into a mobile swimming pool and drove it on the road. This video was posted online, and that is where all the trouble started. The majority of people who came across the video wanted the police to take action, and that is what the officials finally did.
Many online news portals reported Sanju’s driving license cancellation. This decision has created a lot of confusion among people. Some have even come forward questioning the decision to cancel the license, as it would affect an individual’s means of travel, especially for a lifetime. The main reason behind this confusion and protest is that most people who have a driving license are not aware of the fact that a driving license is not a right but a privilege.
Law-Breaking in Multiple Videos
When the officials checked the Youtube vlogger’s channel, they found at least 8-10 videos on the vlogger’s channel in which the vlogger was flouting traffic rules on public roads. The vlogger has a decent following on social media, and these videos were not sending a good message to the viewers (especially young kids). Apart from that, Sanju even posted videos mocking this critics, media and MVD on his channel, indicating that the vlogger was still not aware of the seriousness of this matter.
Initially, the driving licenses of the vlogger and his friend were suspended for a short period. However, when the High Court got involved in this case, the Enforcement Department had to take stricter action to ensure that this case serves as an example to anyone who does stunts on public roads.
A driving license is actually issued by the concerned authorities to an individual under the guarantee that he or she will adhere to the rules and regulations laid out by the system. If at any point the driving license holder is seen violating any of these rules, the authority has the right to take action against the license holder. They may either issue a fine, suspend the license, or even cancel it permanently.
Cancellation of a driving license is, in fact, the extreme measure that an enforcement department would take in any case. In most cases, the license holder is issued a hefty fine with a license suspension for a year. The reason why the MVD took this extreme measure in Sanju’s case is that they analyzed the YouTuber’s channel and found that the vlogger was not violating rules for the first time.
Nothing Wrong Here
The Enforcement Department has not done anything wrong here. As per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, Section 19, the licensing authority has the power to disqualify a person from holding a driving license if the license holder is a habitual offender or a habitual drunkard. There are several points under this section that give the concerned authorities the power to actually get the license canceled.
What To Do After License Is Cancelled
The YouTuber is currently doing 15 days of community service. He can approach the transport commissioner within 30 days to re-evaluate the enforcement department’s decision to cancel the license. If he can come up with a good reason to not have his license canceled, then the commissioner might consider it.
If the commissioner also stands firm on the decision of the enforcement department, then the vlogger will have to go to the High Court for appeal, which we feel is not going to be of much use as the High Court had already filed a case against the YouTuber after the video went viral.
How To Do These Stunts Safely if You Are A Content Creator
First of all, avoid any of these stunts on public roads. That is patently illegal. Second, when you do it on private property, ensure that the vehicle is not damaged or modified in any way that could make it dangerous for other road uses, when it comes back on the road. In this case, you can see that one of the airbags opened, which itself means that the vehicle is now not safe and should be repaired before it is driven. Making a vehicle jump or drift can potentially cause similar issues with tyres, wheels or suspension. Play it safe.
