look news india
New Delhi. Over the past few days, a sensational claim has been going viral on social media platforms—WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube—in which it is being said that if you do not update or link the mobile number with your driving license (DL) by September 25, your license will be canceled or suspended with immediate effect. This misleading message has created immense confusion and fear among crores of drivers and license holders across the country. People have started visiting RTO offices in a hurry and online cyber cafes are being crowded. But the ground reality of this whole matter is completely different. According to official records of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), the government has not issued any such nationwide order or deadline.
According to the official information related to the Ministry and ‘Sarathi Parivahan’ portal, there was no last date of 25 September or 26 September 2026, after which the driving license of any citizen would automatically become invalid or suspended. This viral claim is actually a ‘rumor’ presented by distorting a general government guideline and awareness campaign.
At the root of this whole rumor are two different things, which were mixed together and made a sensation on social media. Firstly, the Road Transport Ministry has been advising all vehicle owners and license holders for quite some time now to keep their contact details (especially mobile numbers) updated in the ‘Sarathi’ and ‘Vahan’ databases. Secondly, the internal process of data clean-up was going on in the local circles of some states, which was made viral by some social media creators by making a strict deadline of 25th September and warning of ‘license cancellation’.
Many RTOs of the country (like Bhopal and other divisional transport offices) have given clarification on this and said that no such SMS or WhatsApp message has been sent by the department to the public in which the license has been threatened to be canceled if the number is not updated by September 25. Therefore, if you have also received such a forwarded message, then there is absolutely no need to panic. Your driving license is completely safe and valid.
Even though there is no binding or penal deadline of 25th September, keeping the active mobile number in your driving license updated is extremely important and beneficial from a practical point of view.
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Old paper and chip licenses: Millions of people in India have driving licenses that are 10 to 15 years old. At that time, either mobile numbers were not registered, or people’s old numbers have now been switched off.
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OTP based faceless services: Today, more than 90% of the services of the transport department have become online and contactless. All work like license renewal, duplicate license, change of address, International Driving Permit (IDP) or vehicle transfer is done through Aadhaar and mobile OTP. If your correct number is not linked, you will not be able to avail these digital services sitting at home.
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E-Challan and Court Notice: Virtual challans for traffic violation, speed camera alerts and RTO notices are sent directly to the registered mobile number through SMS. If the number is not linked, information about the challan is not available and the case reaches Lok Adalat or court without information.
If the mobile number is not registered in your driving license or the old number has been switched off, then there is no need for you to go to any RTO office or pay money to brokers. You can easily update it yourself from the official transport portal of Government of India:
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First of all the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport parivahan.gov.in Go to.
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given on homepage ‘Drivers / Learners License’ Click on the option and select your state.
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A menu of several services will open on the screen; there in the navigation bar ‘Others’ Or ‘Services’ go to tab ‘Update Mobile Number’ Select the option.
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After this select the respective category (Driving License / Learner License / Conductor License).
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Enter your driving license number and date of birth and click on ‘Submit’.
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Your old record will appear on the screen. After this enter your new Aadhaar-linked mobile number and enter the reason for change.
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A one-time password (OTP) will come on your new mobile number. Once you authenticate by entering the OTP, your new number will be successfully updated in the ‘Sarathi’ database.
Amidst this viral news, cyber security experts have also issued a new warning. Cyber thugs are taking advantage of this rumor and sending fake SMS and WhatsApp messages to people, in which it is written –“Your license will be blocked on September 25, immediately update the number for Rs 50 by clicking on this link.”
Citizens should note that the Transport Department never asks for money or bank details by sending unauthorized links from any personal mobile number. Only official portal for any kind of updates parivahan.gov.in or authorized by the Government of India mParivahan Use the app only. The so-called deadline of September 25 is just a rumour, but it is a wise move to keep your contact details updated for a secure future.