Tinted glass rule violations on rise, most challans from West Delhi: Police

According to data released by the police, more than 7,567 cars were challaned for using tinted windows in cars from January 1 to March 15 this year

The Delhi Traffic Police on Tuesday said that there has been a significant increase in the number of vehicles which have been challaned over the use of tinted windows over the past year, with data revealing that the maximum number of violations have occurred in west Delhi.

The Supreme Court, in a 2012 judgment, had banned the use of black film and tinted windows in all vehicles, following several reports of crimes against women inside such vehicles. (HT Archive)

The Supreme Court, in a 2012 judgment, had banned the use of black film and tinted windows in all vehicles, following several reports of crimes against women inside such vehicles.

In a statement on Tuesday, the traffic police said that they are “actively” checking vehicular traffic across the city, and have spotted several violations of the ban on tinted windows, with the traffic circles of Najafgarh, Nangloi, and Tilak Nagar — all in west Delhi — recording the maximum offenders.

“Tinted windows or films affect clear visibility, which compromises road safety for occupants of the vehicle and other commuters. Further, the safety of women has always been a top issue for Delhi Police, given the history of cases in which four-wheelers with tinted glasses were used,” the statement said.

The police further added that despite regulations and regular checking, a “trend” of tinted window violations has emerged.

As per data released by the police, more than 7,567 cars were challaned for using tinted windows in cars from January 1 to March 15 this year, and were fined between ₹100 and ₹300. In 2023, during the same period, the number of violators was 3,029, while the figure for the same period in 2022 was 1,083.

In 2024, the maximum number of violators were in the Najafgarh traffic circle — 851 — which was a significant surge from the 100 violators fined for the same period in 2023. Other traffic circles that had a significant number of violations in 2024 were Nangloi (617), Punjabi Bagh (417), Tilak Nagar (365), Dwarka (350), RK Puram (240), Badarpur (226), and Hauz Khas (220).

A traffic police officer aware of the development said that a car’s windows must be transparent for road safety.

“People who stopped using tinted windows (due to the Supreme Court ban) are now trying to come up with dark films and other coating on windows,” the officer said, on condition of anonymity.

“Most of the violators are young adults, and they make excuses that they were not aware of the rule, or that they are allergic to the sun. We have also found violators shooting reels or creating nuisance in such cars. It becomes difficult to spot the person inside. People also use dark or light films to cover the windows. That is not allowed,” the officer added.