Chapter XIII — Offences, Penalties And Procedure
Section 179 — Disobedience of orders, obstruction and refusal of information
Written and checked byManju Shekhar· Motor Law & Compliance· Updated 10 October 2026
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Act 59 of 1988)
Text of the section
Disobedience of orders, obstruction and refusal of information.—(1) Whoever wilfully disobeys any direction lawfully given by any person or authority empowered under this Act to give such direction, or obstructs any person or authority in the discharge of any functions which such person or authority is required or empowered under this Act to discharge, shall, if no other penalty is provided for the offence be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees. (2) Whoever, being required by or under this Act to supply any information, wilfully withholds such information or gives information which he knows to be false or which he does not believe to be true, shall, if no other penalty is provided for the offence, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.
Reproduced from the India Code text of the Act. Bracketed superscript numerals are the official footnote markers for earlier amendments.
Amended by the 2019 Amendment Act
In section 179 of the principal Act,— (i) in sub-section (1), for the words "five hundred rupees", the words “two thousand rupees” shall be substituted; (ii) in sub-section (2), for the words "five hundred rupees", the words “two thousand rupees” shall be substituted. Amendment of section 168. Amendment of section 169. Amendment of section 170. Amendment of section 173. Amendment of section 177. Insertion of section 177A. Penalty for contravention of regulations under section 118. Amendment of section 178. Amendment of section 179. 5 of 1908. 62.
This is the amending instruction from the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 32 of 2019), quoted verbatim. Read it together with the text above — the consolidated version is the section as it reads once these changes are applied.
Amended by the Jan Vishwas Act, 2026 — in force from 15 August 2026
(V) In section 179,— (i) in sub-section (1), for the words “punishable with fine”, the words “liable to penalty” shall be substituted; (ii) in sub-section (2), for the words “provided for the offence, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both”, the words “provided for the contravention, be liable to penalty which shall not be less than five hundred rupees but which may extend to two thousand rupees” shall be substituted.
Amending instruction from the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (No. 8 of 2026), Schedule entry 51, quoted verbatim. It took effect for the Motor Vehicles Act on 15 August 2026 under S.O. 4100(E), 24 July 2026. Where it conflicts with the text above, this later change prevails.
Before you rely on this. The base text above is the Act as consolidated by the India Code, which predates the 2019 amendment; 2019 and 2026 changes are shown separately rather than merged in. Later amendments may also apply. For anything official, read the current text on the e-Gazette or the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways site.
All sections
Browse the full arrangement of sections.
Violations & penalties
What each offence costs in practice.