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Glad no one was hurt and the incident was resolved.
Is green light a defacto right of way? I thought a green only indicates proceed if safe to do so?

My understanding is that in India, a green light means this: Proceed in the indicated direction if it is safe to do so.

It does NOT mean that it's automatically your right of way, and that there's now a force field around your car so that some idiots don't ride the wrong way.

Yes, the biker is fully at fault, but it always helps to slow down whenever there's a traffic signal. Just imagine if it were a pedestrian who suddenly decided to randomly run across the road. I don't think there would be a discussion on the right of way at that time.

And not all cops are willing to solve the issue. As in every other profession, you might encounter someone who's just there to make a quick buck and exploit the situation.

Thankfully there's no harm to anyone in this case, so it's all good. Pity about the car though, hope it's not too much damage.

I respectfully disagree to your statement. Let's not dilute the signal rules just because some random biker wanted to jump the signal. In the above case the signal was green , OP was not over speeding, he had all the right to continue on his way. There is absolutely no need to slow down. In an ideal world pressing charges on these idiots would have made them mend their ways but unfortunately they are in Bangalore :Frustrati.

Coming back to the signal rules Green means you have your right of way where as if the signal was yellow I would have agreed with you.

What we need in India is to press charges against these individuals who come on the wrong way and jump the signals and those charges has to be serious criminal charges. Until everyone mends their way.

While GREEN does indicate a right of way, in a less than perfect setting like India's its always better to err on the side of caution. An errant biker, autorickshaw or a pedestrian is very likely to imagine that there are no more vehicles crossing, especially in the last 5-6 seconds of the green signal and when there isn't a steady stream of vehicles, as happened here.

Additionally, the auto guy on the right abruptly stopped. That also could've given a second or two of advance notice, because an auto doesn't stop unless there is something substantial blocking its way.

I understand the legal verbiage but if a vehicle cannot assert its right of way at a green signal then what is a green signal for? If you have to stop even on green signal, just because someone else decided not to stop at a red signal, makes a green signal irrelevant. This "Proceed in the indicated direction if it is safe to do so" is just so confusing, especially in India where people do not hesitate to cross even when the signal is red. Shouldn't it be clearly stated that green means proceed and red means stop?

I mean, how can we justify a person crossing without looking when his signal was red, by telling the person who had a green signal, that he should have stopped? Then, seeing the current situation on indian roads, vehicles which follow the rules, will forever be stuck even when their signal was green.

I think, despite what the legal definition is, we as responsible citizens should not hesitate to call a spade a spade and should not hesitate to support someone who had the right of way vs someone who blatantly ignored the red signal at his own peril. We keep trying to find fault with someone who was clearly obeying traffic rules, and let the offender go scot-free. Rules need to be clear, you either have the right of way or you dont. People can be cautious while crossing, to save themselves from injuries, damages, waste of time etc.but it should be clear that they were right in proceeding at a green signal and the other person was uneqivocally at fault.

Green Traffic Light
You may travel through the intersection.
You must allow any pedestrians, bicyclists, or other vehicles in the intersection to pass first.
Do not proceed if you cannot clear the intersection before the light turns red; you may be given a ticket for blocking traffic.
When turning left at a green light, yield to those traveling straight.

This is the US DMV training manual. We can interpret to our convenience or right.

I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments. At the end of the day, traffic rules aren't just guidelines; they're laws designed to protect us all on the road. When someone chooses to ignore a red light, they're not just breaking the law; they're putting everyone else's life at risk.

You've hit the nail on the head about the issue of accountability. We often find ourselves in debates that almost seem to normalize or justify the actions of those breaking the rules. It's as if the person obeying the traffic signal needs to "prove" they were in the right, when it should be unequivocally clear that the person ignoring the red light is at fault.

As responsible citizens and community members, we should be unequivocal in our support for those who follow the rules and our condemnation for those who don't. After all, when someone decides to flout a red signal, they make a conscious choice to jeopardize the safety of everyone else on the road. Rules need to be unambiguous: if you have the right of way at a green signal, you are in the right. Anyone who contravenes this is unequivocally in the wrong.

The law and societal judgment should be clear and unyielding on this issue. If we start to blur the lines, we not only undermine the rule of law but also put lives at risk.

What if a pedestrian crosses when the pedestrian crossing light is red (i e, green light for traffic)? Who is at fault then? The car driver for not stopping?

Now things get even confusing.
Red -> STOP
Yellow -> cross if possible
Green -> STOP look for pedestrians cyclists cows signal breakers and then pass if there's nothing blocking you?

I'm not counter arguing here but in my opinion Green has to grant the right of way to the driver.

Open for discussion.

Nice to see a lot of discussion around this.

I still stand by what I've said, though I understand what other members have said.

I was pointing out that the OP said it's his right of way because it was Green. For which I implied it is better to assume that nobody else knows how to drive and to be cautious even at Green signals.

The biker is fully at fault, which I did mention earlier as well. It's all great to talk about social justice and definitive meanings of traffic signals, but let's not kid ourselves. None of us are in our versions of an ideal world. If not for the dashcam footage, the OP would have faced blackmail by the biker and cop, rather than posting here about right of way due to Green signal.

More than anything else, this only highlights the importance of having a dashcam.

While your point about the potential confusion surrounding green lights is understandable, I'd like to offer some perspective based on traffic rules in the United States. In the U.S., if you approach a signal that is already green, you have the unequivocal right of way. Any individual or vehicle that obstructs your path during this green light would be considered at fault, not you. However, if you are stopped at a red light that turns green, it is customary and advised to exercise caution and look both ways before proceeding.
In essence, a green light should grant the driver the right of way, but that does not absolve anyone—driver, pedestrian, or otherwise—from exercising due diligence for their safety and the safety of others.

Thank you for clarifying. In the above case it was the former where the light was already green. The biker tried to jump the signal and pass here. So I don't think any benefits of the doubt apply to the biker.

I am also of the opinion the rules around these signals should be as firm as black and white anything vague will make the layman more confused since road traffic rules in India have already been misjudged, misquoted and misunderstood at multiple levels.

This is very sad. Nexon, in general, has done a commendable job at saving occupants in several accidents, but this time the outcome was unfortunate.
With all due respect to the departed, I wonder what chain of events could have mangled such a strong car, that too fatally.

From Mysuru Traffic Police Page
From Cyberabad Traffic Police

Actually my understanding is that if the path ahead at the intersection is fully blocked we are not supposed to move the car forward even if the traffic light has turned green.

Biker was wrong, yes. Lesson to learn,

When you are at crossroads, signal or not, and if you are in a left lane with a vehicle on the right side of you, never ever try to overtake it. Learned it hard way.

OT - That's a lovely Gypsy in the background though. Looks really drool worthy.