₹50,000 MVD fine sparks fresh row, Aranmula MLA backs car owner

The car owner had earlier been fined ₹5,250 by MVD officials in Adoor. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement The controversy over a modified off-road vehicle used in flood rescue operations in Aranmula in Pathanamthitta refuses to die down, with local legislator Abin Varkey on Sunday throwing his weight behind the vehicle owner after the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) revised the penalty on the car to ₹50,000.The car, owned by Amal Vidwan of Kulanada, had earlier been fined ₹5,250 by MVD officials in Adoor. The penalty was subsequently revised after the Kerala High Court examined the Transport Commissioner’s report on the vehicle and found six additional lights and tyres projecting laterally beyond the vehicle’s body.Based on the findings, the Pathanamthitta Regional Transport Officer issued a notice to Mr. Vidwan on September 1, imposing a fine of ₹20,000 for the projecting tyres and ₹30,000 for the six illegally fitted lights. The owner has been directed to remove the alterations within seven days, while the MVD is scheduled to submit a report to the court on September 7.Mr. Varkey, however, has come out strongly in support of Mr. Vidwan and his wife, Aardra, citing their role in the flood rescue operations in Aranmula. The MLA said the couple had voluntarily joined the rescue effort and used their vehicle to evacuate several stranded residents for three days.Essential suppliesAccording to the legislator, the vehicle was stopped and checked by the MVD officials when the couple were on their way to Adoor to buy essential supplies during the floods.“On that day, what I saw was not the number of lights on a vehicle or the technicalities of the law. I saw frightened people and youngsters ready to rescue them using their off-road vehicles,” Mr. Varkey said in a message posted on social media.While stating that he respected the High Court verdict, Mr. Varkey maintained that conducting vehicle checks in Adoor on a day when large parts of the district remained submerged was “inappropriate and unnecessary.”“If youngsters from Aranmula took part in the rescue mission, then as their elected representative, I will stand by them,” he added.The MVD action on August 21 had triggered widespread criticism, including from the Congress, and subsequently snowballed into an unusual confrontation within the department. Two officials involved in the enforcement action were suspended, prompting MVD personnel to stage a Statewide protest wearing black badges. The government subsequently revoked their suspension. Published - September 06, 2026 07:39 pm IST