Anushka Sharma’s bodyguard fined ₹10,500 for riding without helmet and driving without licence

On Monday, Anushka Sharma was seen taking a ride with her bodyguard on a motorbike after experiencing a road block on a small street in Mumbai. Fans questioned her for not wearing a helmet after the video was shared online and went viral. Now, two days after the event, the Mumbai Traffic Police issued a challan against Anushka Sharma’s bodyguard Sonu Shaikh and added a fine of ₹10,500 for riding without a helmet and driving without a licence. (Also read: Mumbai Police to take action against Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Sharma for riding bikes without helmets)

Both Anushka and her bodyguard did not wear helmets as they hopped on the bike as a tree had fallen and was blocking the road. On Twitter, Mumbai Traffic Police posted photos of the complaint and wrote, “Challan has been issued under Sec 129/194(D), Sec 5/180 & Sec 3(1)181 MV act to the driver along with an fine of Rs. 10500 & been paid by the offender.” While the fine of not riding with a helmet is ₹500, the fine for driving without a valid licence is around ₹10,000. They were addressing a complaint made by a Twitter user about the actor and the bodyguards disregarding helmets for their short ride.

Fans responded to the fine in the comments section on Twitter and thanked the department for addressing it. One fan said, “Sir /Madam it is heartening to see you take action against Bollywood celebrities. This takes a lot of bravery.” Another asked, “Without any enquiry how and why issue challan with Sec 5/180 and Sec 3(1)/181 how you know that the motorcycle rider don’t have driving licence.” Yet another added, “I feel if any celebrity too is breaking any sort of rules set by the respective authorities then they should be treated just normally like any other human being. Rules must be common for all irrespective of any sort of position or power.”

Earlier in the week, Amitabh Bachchan had also posted a picture of himself taking on a ride, while not wearing a helmet, to work on Instagram. He wrote, “Thank you for the ride buddy .. don’t know you .. but you obliged and got me on time to location of work .. faster and in avoidance of the unsolvable traffic jams .. thank you capped, shorts and yellowed T-shirt owner.” Mumbai Police had assured users that they would be taking action on both the complaints. The veteran actor had later clarified on his blog that all official permissions had been taken for the film’s shoot in South Mumbai and he was not breaking any laws.

Anushka Sharma, who was last seen in a cameo in Qala (2022), is making her Cannes debut at the French film festival later this month. She is expected to attend an event honouring women in cinema and present an award with actor Kate Winslet.