Power to erect traffic signs

In force Act 59 of 1988 As on 19 Oct 2026

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so the text below was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Act 59 of 1988 Cited by 4 provisions

This is a second copy of a Central Act. India Code files it on Haryana's shelf as well as under Parliament, and the text is the same enactment. Read it at The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which is the record this site keeps current.

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so this text was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act deals with power to erect traffic signs. (a) The State Government or any authority authorised in this behalf by the State Government may cause or permit traffic signs to be placed or erected in any public place for the purpose of bringing to public notice any speed limits fixed under sub-section (2) of section 112 or any prohibitions or re

(1) (a) The State Government or any authority authorised in this behalf by the State Government may cause or permit traffic signs to be placed or erected in any public place for the purpose of bringing to public notice any speed limits fixed under sub-section (2) of section 112 or any prohibitions or restrictions imposed under section 115 or generally for the purpose of regulating motor vehicle traffic.
(b) A State Government or any authority authorised in this behalf by the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette or by the erection at suitable places of the appropriate traffic sign referred to in Part A of the Schedule, designate certain roads as main roads for the purposes of the driving regulations made by the Central Government.
(2) Traffic signs placed or erected under sub-section (1) for any purpose for which provision is made in the Schedule shall be of the size, colour and type and shall have the meanings set forth in the Schedule, but the State Government or any authority empowered in this behalf by the State Government may make or authorise the addition to any sign set forth in the said Schedule, of transcriptions of the words, letters or figures thereon in such script as the State Government may think fit, provided that the transcriptions shall be of similar size and colour to the words, letters or figures set forth in the Schedule.
(3) Except as provided by sub-section (1), no traffic sign shall, after the commencement of this Act, be placed or erected on or near any road; but all traffic signs placed or erected prior to the commencement of this Act by any competent authority shall for the purpose of this Act be deemed to be traffic signs placed or erected under the provisions of sub-section (1). dec (4) A State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, empower any police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police to remove or cause to be removed any sign or advertisement which is so placed in his opinion as to obscure any traffic sign from view or any sign or advertisement which is in his opinion so similar in appearance to a traffic sign as to be misleading or which in his opinion is likely to distract the attention or concentration of the driver.
(5) No person shall wilfully remove, alter, deface, or in any way tamper with, any traffic signs placed or erected under this section.
(6) If any person accidentally causes such damage to a traffic sign as renders it useless for the purpose for which it is placed or erected under this section, he shall report the circumstances of the occurrence to a police officer or at a police station as soon as possible, and in any case within twenty-four hours of the occurrence.
(7) For the purpose of bringing the signs set forth in [the First Schedule] in conformity with any International Convention relating to motor traffic to which the Central Government is for the time being a party, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make any addition or alteration to any such sign and on the issue of any such notification, [the First Schedule] shall be deemed to be amended accordingly.
Section 116, The Motor Vehicles Act (Act 59 of 1988).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

Referred to by 4

Questions about Section 116

What does Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act deal with?

Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act is headed "Power to erect traffic signs". (a) The State Government or any authority authorised in this behalf by the State Government may cause or permit traffic signs to be placed or erected in any public place for the purpose of bringing to public notice any speed limits fixed under sub-section (2) of section 112 or any prohibitions or re

How do I find court cases under Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Motor Vehicles Act 116, section 116 Motor Vehicles Act, section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 112 (Limits of speed), section 115 (Power to restrict the use of vehicles), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.

When was the Motor Vehicles Act enacted?

Motor Vehicles Act was enacted in 1988 as Act 59 of 1988. India Code records no commencement date for it. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

51. Special provisions regarding motor vehicle subject to hire-purchase agreement, etc1658 words
217. Repeal and savings1639 words
88. Validation of permits for use outside region in which granted1606 words
149. 1094 words
96. Power of State Government to make rules for the purposes of this Chapter980 words
2. Definitions947 words

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Read from the Government's own scanned gazette with Azure Document Intelligence, then split into sections by their numbering. India Code publishes no text for this Act. The scan itself is mirrored into our own storage and served at /scan/f09db275-80d6-4bd5-924c-03ac08727bdc.pdf, so the reading here can be checked against the page it came from without depending on India Code's own copy staying where it is (it was at https://indiacode.gov.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/e36db003-a500-4cf2-aaa3-05b529659cd2/content). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.