High pass rate in driving tests in Delhi turns out to be sleight of hand

Explaining how the “irregularities” arose despite all 16 driving tracks in the capital being automated, an official said the suspended inspector tampered with the ‘Conflict of Results’ rule.

Under this rule, officials said Motor Licensing Officers (MLOs) have the right to issue a licence to a candidate if they pass the driving test successfully but CCTV footage is not clear due to some reasons. “For instance, a pigeon may have flown near the camera or sat on top of it… or the image flickers after the CCTV shakes due to wind. Sometimes, people also mistakenly stand in front of the camera. So, if a candidate has cleared the test successfully but the video footage is not clear, the MLO could pass him and issue a license under the ‘Conflict of Results’ rule — but this can only be exercised in rare cases….,” said the official.

The suspended officer at At Surajmal Vihar issued licences under this rule despite candidates having failed the test, said the official. After this incident, the department has withdrawn the option to exercise the rule from all MLOs in all zones.

Sources said, “The driving licence test at Surajmal Vihar is conducted on an automated driving track situated in Vishwas Nagar under the supervision of the inspector. After receiving a complaint that he was passing candidates despite them failing tests, the department monitored and assessed data on the number of tests taken and licences issued at the RTO for two-three months. It was found that the inspector was misusing the ‘Conflict of Results’ rule.”

Sources said the MLO of Surajmal Vihar gave permission to the suspended officer to exercise this right but he “misused the rule and took advantage of it”. Officials said the department also issued a show-cause notice to Sukhdev, MLO of Surajmal Vihar.

Last month, The Indian Express reported that despite complaints coming in about faceless driving tests, especially the difficulty level, there was a sharp rise in the number of people passing them. Of 95,051 tests conducted last year, 80% had passed it, as per the Outcome Budget Report. In 2021-22, as many as 40,000 driving tests were conducted on all test tracks in Delhi, of which only 52% (20,800 people) cleared it.

Further, as per data shared by officials, 1.45 lakh new licences have been issued from April 1 to October 23 this year.