India Supreme Court Banned Motor Vehicle Alterations

Aadhya Khatri - Jan 11, 2019

From now on, alterations that change the basic structure of a motor vehicle are against the law

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The Supreme Court has officially outlawed vehicle alteration in India. This new law prohibits anyone from doing anything to make a motor vehicle different from what the manufacturer did and what the registration of the vehicle shows. This is not a good piece of news at all for the automotive aftermarket and some of the car devotees.

No more modified cars like this on the India road?

According to the Supreme Court, the purpose of the Act was to ensure that no vehicle should have different specifications from what the manufacturer stated.

The Act does allow minor alterations like painting another color or small fitment, but any modifications that change the structure of the vehicles will have to go through the registration authorities. This makes sense as manufacturers have been spending millions just to test the safety of these vehicles. Any change can have a negative impact on the harmony and things can go out of control.

If the owner’s proposal is not approved, doing alterations without proper permission might lead to cancellation of registration for the owners.

Arun Mishra and Vineet Saran, two judges of Indian Supreme Court said that while CNG kit retrofitting was still allowed by the Act, no vehicle should differ from the specifications announced by the manufacturers, which were used to register the vehicle in the first place.

Alteration according to the Act leads to modification of vehicle’s structure that results in changing its core features. These alterations, according to the new law, may pose a threat to the driver and other people on the road.

With a definition like that, the Motor Vehicles Act forbids all kinds of alterations, which includes changing the capacity of the tires. The ultimate goal here is to promote road safety and preserve the environment. To know exactly to what extent a vehicle is prohibited from being altered, one should consult the amended provision.

There was another judgment on this matter made by the Kerala High Court which allows alterations as long as they follow the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules’ provisions. This new Act has officially made this judgment obsolete.