Delhi HC asks Centre to file reply on PIL challenging motor vehicle re-registration rules

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the central government to file its reply on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the rules regarding the re-registration of motor vehicles.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel also asked the Union Ministry of Road Transport to file its response on the petition and listed the matter for May 4.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by AAP leader Deepak Bajpai and retired bureaucrat Narendar B Singh, seeking directions for framing of policy regarding a uniform road tax for private vehicles across the country.

Advocates Bhakti Pasrija Sethi and Moksh Pasrija, appearing for the petitioners, drew the attention of the High Court on the "completely bizarre rules" regarding re-registration of motor vehicles in the country upon transfer to another state and the "sheer inconvenience" faced by the vehicle owners in getting refund of the hefty one-time road tax upon transfer of vehicle.

The petition also sought directions to Centre to keep a unified online database for vehicles registered all over India so that if a vehicle registered at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of one state get registered in another state, the lifetime road tax paid in the previous state may automatically be paid by the previous state to the new state.

As per the Motor Vehicles Rules, a vehicle owner has to seek a new registration number in case the vehicle is transferred to another state and kept for more than 12 months.

"The procedure of seeking a refund of one-time road tax already paid in the previous state is very cumbersome and crude in India which makes it practically impossible for a vehicle owner to get the refund and he ends up paying double taxes. For seeking a refund of one-time road tax from the previous state, a vehicle owner has to first pay one-time road tax in the new state, and then has to come back to the authorities in the previous state and apply for the refund," the petitioner said.

The petitioner said that the central government has not devised an online mechanism for the payment and refund of one-time road tax adding that it complicates the things further.

"Most of the times it involves multiple visits and it is practically impossible and financially draining for a vehicle owner to visit the previous state," the plea added.

According to the petitioners, they have already sent representations to the Minister of Road Transport and Highways and other concerned authorities, requesting them to look into the matter.