Hyderabad: Next time when you buy a vehicle being auctioned by a government agency, particularly law enforcement departments like excise, police and central enforcement agencies, ensure that it has a genuineness certificate.
Mr V. Veeresham, a tailor and resident of Kattarampur, Karimnagar, had paid Rs 1.37 lakh in November 2014 and bought a Maruti Alto auctioned by the excise department. It was used to transport liquor by an accused. The Road Transport Authority refused to register it saying that its chassis numbers and other particulars didn’t match as the engine had been changed. The excise department said it can’t return the money paid for purchase of the vehicle.
The buyer got relief from the Karimnagar District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. The excise department in its reply said that it was the responsibility of the purchaser to register the vehicle in his name. The forum observed that a circular of the RTA said: “The auctioning authorities are requested not to auction vehicles seized by them unless the genuineness certificate is obtained from Regional Transport Authority and so on”.
Citing the circular, the forum said there was negligence and deficiency in service on part of excise officials and ordered refund of the Rs 1.37 lakh to Mr Veeresham and payment of Rs 5,000 towards costs.
