Siddaramaiah’s official car flagged six times for not wearing seatbelt, once for speeding; fines cleared

Bengaluru, Sept. 7 (BCT)- The official Toyota Fortuner SUV, used by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the highest executive authority in Karnataka, has been caught violating traffic rules on seven separate occasions since start of 2024.

These violations were captured on camera by Bengaluru city’s Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), which automatically records offences at major junctions.

According to Traffic Police sources, penalties for all seven violations have now been paid, but only after the repeated breaches came to light.

Of the seven offences, six were for the Chief Minister himself failing to wear a seatbelt while seated in the front seat, a basic safety norm he is expected to uphold as the head of the State.

ITMS footage shows Siddaramaiah riding in the front without a seatbelt, blatantly flouting road safety rules.

The fines for these six violations were settled at Rs. 2,500, a figure reduced under the State Government’s 50 percent discount scheme on traffic penalties — a discount announced by Siddaramaiah’s own administration.

The first violation was recorded on Jan. 24, 2024, near the Leela Palace Junction on Old Airport Road. Subsequent instances were captured at the same junction in February and August, at Chandrika Hotel Junction in March and again in August at Shivananda Circle and Dr. Rajkumar Memorial Junction.

Adding to the infractions, on July 9, the CM’s car was also flagged by ITMS for speeding along Kempegowda International Airport Express Corridor, marking a seventh violation.

A senior Traffic Police official confirmed that all fines have since been cleared. The revelations have sparked sharp criticism, with citizens pointing out the irony of the State’s top leader repeatedly violating the rules his Government expects the public to follow.