Using a mobile phone while driving: fine amount and rules
Last verified: 12 Aug 2026
What the law says
Before 2019 phone use while driving was usually booked under the residual Section 177 for a few hundred rupees. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 inserted an Explanation into Section 184 declaring that 'use of handheld communications devices while driving' amounts to driving in a manner dangerous to the public, which lifts the offence into Section 184's much heavier penalty band. It is also the only limb of Section 184 that Section 200 allows to be compounded, so unlike red-light jumping or dangerous driving it can normally still be settled without a court appearance.
Fine amounts
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| First offence | First offence under Section 184: imprisonment for not less than 6 months and up to 1 year, or a fine of not less than ₹1,000 and up to ₹5,000, or both. State compounding amounts vary widely within that band — Delhi's schedule pins it at the ₹5,000 ceiling, while Maharashtra grades it by vehicle class at ₹1,000 for a 2/3-wheeler, ₹2,000 for an LMV and ₹4,000 for other vehicles |
| Repeat offence | Second or subsequent offence within three years of a previous similar offence: imprisonment up to 2 years, or a fine of ₹10,000, or both — Delhi's schedule shows ₹10,000 for a subsequent offence |
| Licence impact | Section 206(4) obliges the officer to seize the driving licence of a driver believed to have committed a Section 184 offence and forward it to the licensing authority for disqualification or revocation proceedings under Section 19. |
| Payable online | Yes, on official e-challan portals |
States with different notified amounts
| State | Amount |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | ₹1,035 light motor vehicle, ₹2,035 heavy vehicle — AP compounds handheld phone use under s.184 dangerous driving, far below the ₹5,000 often quoted for s.184. |
| Delhi | ₹5,000 for the first offence and ₹10,000 for a subsequent offence, listed as 'Use of Hand-Held Communication Devices While Driving — 184 M.V.A' |
| Gujarat | ₹1,500 two/three-wheeler, ₹3,000 LMV, ₹5,000 other vehicles — handheld-device use is compounded under s.184, which Gujarat's chart does not break out as a separate mobile-phone line. |
| Haryana | ₹5,000 first offence, ₹10,000 on repeat, for 'dangerous mobile phone use while driving' under s.184 per Gurugram Police's official schedule, matching the top of the central range. |
| Karnataka | ₹1,500 for 2W/3W, ₹3,000 for LMV and ₹5,000 for other vehicles on a first offence, and ₹10,000 for a second or later offence under s.184(c); the central figure is ₹5,000 rising to ₹10,000. |
| Maharashtra | ₹1,000 for a two/three-wheeler, ₹2,000 for an LMV and ₹4,000 for other vehicles, or ₹10,000 for a repeat within 3 years. The state's Section 184 entry is confined to handheld devices — the only limb of 184 that Section 200 lets be compounded |
| Rajasthan | ₹1,000 for a first offence and ₹10,000 for a subsequent one — Rajasthan compounds section 184 only for use of a handheld communication device. |
| Tamil Nadu | ₹1,000 for the first offence and ₹10,000 for a second or subsequent offence — Tamil Nadu lists handheld-communication-device use together with dangerous driving in one s.184 entry. |
| Uttar Pradesh | Rs 1,000 for a first offence and Rs 10,000 for a second or subsequent offence, compounded under s.184(c) read with rule 21 CMVR — well below the Rs 5,000 top-of-range figure most charts quote for section 184. |
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is using a phone for navigation while driving also an offence?
The Explanation to Section 184 targets the 'use of handheld communications devices while driving'. What the section penalises is holding and operating the device while driving; a phone fixed in a cradle and not being handled is a different factual situation from a handheld device, and the enforcing officer's case has to rest on handheld use.
Why is a phone challan so much bigger than it used to be?
Until the 2019 amendment phone use was normally charged under the residual Section 177 (₹500 first offence, ₹1,500 for a repeat). The 2019 Explanation moved handheld device use into Section 184, whose first-offence band is a fine of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000, or imprisonment of six months to a year, or both.
Can a mobile-phone challan be compounded, or must it go to court?
It can be compounded. Section 200(1) lists 'clause (c) of the Explanation to section 184' among the compoundable offences — the only part of Section 184 that is compoundable — so handheld device use can be settled for the amount the State Government notifies rather than tried in court.
Sources
- www.indiacode.nic.in — https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?actid=AC_CEN_30_42_00009_198859_1517807326286§ionId=28460§ionno=184&orderno=204
- www.indiacode.nic.in — https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?actid=AC_CEN_30_42_00009_198859_1517807326286§ionId=28477§ionno=200&orderno=231
- www.indiacode.nic.in — https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?actid=AC_CEN_30_42_00009_198859_1517807326286§ionId=28452§ionno=177&orderno=194
- www.indiacode.nic.in — https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?actid=AC_CEN_30_42_00009_198859_1517807326286§ionId=28483§ionno=206&orderno=237
- traffic.delhipolice.gov.in — https://traffic.delhipolice.gov.in/traffic-offences
- cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in — https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s35dec707028b05bcbd3a1db5640f842c5/uploads/2025/04/202504251593727433.pdf
- egazzete.mahaonline.gov.in — https://egazzete.mahaonline.gov.in/Forms/GazetteSearch.aspx
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