In India, we have come across several instances where cops and government officials are seen misbehaving and causing inconvenience to the general public. The Motor Vehicle Department’s name often comes up at the top in such cases. They are often seen stopping vehicles and issuing fines for violations. Here, for a change, we have a report where a female RTO official decided to issue a challan against her own vehicle, which was being driven without a valid pollution certificate.
The officer in question here has been identified as Sona Chandel, who is currently the Regional Transport Officer of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh. As per the report, the incident happened on December 20, 2025.
During a routine inspection, the team noticed a vehicle with registration number HP 63C 7365 on the road. The officers ran the number and realised that the pollution certificate of the vehicle had expired. The officers also noticed that the vehicle belonged to their superior, Sona Chandel. It was actually her official vehicle.
The matter was then brought to the RTO’s notice. Usually, we have seen many government officials’ vehicles plying on our roads with several fines against them. The department rarely cares about these violations and, in most cases, they do not pay the fine amount.
However, Sona Chandel is different. The moment this issue was brought to Sona’s notice, she asked the officers not to worry and issue a challan. The officer was, in fact, ordered to issue the challan without any exception.
A challan of Rs 500 was issued against the vehicle, and the RTO paid the fine too. After paying the fine, she ensured that her vehicle got a valid PUC certificate immediately. The report also mentions that this is not the first time she has done something like this.
Last year, during one such inspection or drive for the HSRP (High Security Registration Plates) in Himachal Pradesh, the same officer had issued a challan against her husband’s scooter.
She also made sure that the fine was paid in that case too. It looks like the officer is not trying to do a publicity stunt and genuinely likes to follow the rules. In India, it is not uncommon to find someone who isn’t following traffic rules.
People, for some reason, try to flout rules, ride or drive recklessly, and even cause accidents. The major reason for such acts in most cases is carelessness or impatience. Indians lack discipline on the road, and that is actually another reason why we now have many road rage incidents being reported from different parts of the country.
In such a situation, it is actually very nice to see a person, that too a government official, trying to make a difference. Both the incidents that were mentioned above show that she doesn’t believe in VIP treatment and believes that in front of the law, everyone is equal.
The reports mention that the revenue collection in the transport department in Himachal has also increased after Sona took charge. In 2024–25, the department collected around Rs 2.5 crore against the target of Rs 1.5 crore.
On the internet, many users have actually lauded her for the stand she took. Some of them are:
“Otherwise this is the most corrupt department/ministry of India. 99.99% RTO departments are corrupt. Wasooli at every level. Great to hear about an exception!”
“Lady Singham of Sirmaur showing that honesty isn’t optional — it’s duty. Himachal needs more like her. ??”