# 120 km/h on expressway won’t attract challan, Gadkari says

2026-10-29T13:21:28+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said that drivers on expressways should not be issued challans for driving up to 120 km/h. Speaking at a CII event, Gadkari said he has directed officials to provide a 20% speed tolerance, meaning no penalty for speeds up to 144 km/h on roads with a 120 km/h limit. For expressways with a 100 km/h limit, the tolerance would allow up to 120 km/h. Gadkari also urged industry to adopt AI-based advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) to improve highway safety and reduce unnecessary challan notices. The new relaxation is not yet a legally enforced rule, an official gazette notification or amendment to speed limit rules would be needed before it takes effect. Drivers are advised to follow the posted speed limits on each expressway.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Gadkari's 20% tolerance formula, if formalised, would effectively raise the enforcement threshold on expressways to 144 km/h, a significant de facto relaxation that benefits private car users. The minister's statement remains an administrative direction, not a statutory change, leaving drivers in a grey zone until the transport ministry issues a gazette notification. The push for AI-based traffic management also signals a shift away from manual challaning toward automated enforcement, which could reduce discretionary notices but also raise privacy questions. The next step to watch is the official notification from the ministry.

## Coverage

- businesstoday.in <https://bazaar.businesstoday.in/auto/story/expressway-speeding-challan-rules-nitin-gadkari-says-no-notices-up-to-120-kmph-explains-20-percent-speed-margin-and-when-drivers-may-face-fines-1469103-2026-10-29?utm_source=rssfeed>
  Leads with Gadkari's statement, includes caveats about legal status

This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.

Tags: CII, expressway, Nitin Gadkari, speed limit
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