Days after the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) issued a fresh notice revising the fine on a modified off-road vehicle used in flood-rescue operations at Aranmula to ₹50,000, a collective of lawyers in the Kerala High Court on Monday (September 7, 2026) handed over the amount to its owner for paying the fine.

The penalty was 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.

Arun S. Nair, advocate, handed over the money to Amal Vidwan of Kulanada at the office of Aranmula MLA Abin Varkey. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Varkey reiterated his criticism of the MVD, calling its decision to penalise a vehicle engaged in flood-rescue operations inappropriate and insensitive to the circumstances.

‘Inappropriate’

“It was inappropriate for the MVD to conduct vehicle checks in a town where people from across the district had gathered seeking refuge during the floods,” said the legislator. He also criticised the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] for allegedly backing the department’s action and even demanding that another fine be imposed.

The vehicle had initially been fined ₹5,250 by MVD officers at Adoor, which was paid by Youth Congress workers. The action, initiated on August 21, 2026, triggered widespread criticism, including from within the Congress, and soon snowballed into an unusual confrontation within the department. Two officers involved in the action were suspended, prompting MVD personnel to stage a Statewide protest wearing black badges. The government later revoked their suspension.