is it mandatory to carry original driving licence

No, it is not mandatory to carry the physical original driving licence in India. As per the amendments in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, certified digital copies of your driving licence are considered legally valid and equivalent to the physical document. You must store and present the electronic version from official government applications like DigiLocker or m-Parivahan when requested by authorities. A simple photograph or scanned copy is not legally accepted.