Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the regional transport authority, south zone, to register the vehicle of a petitioner, incorporating the chassis number that was replaced by the manufacturer following an accident, and issue the necessary certificate of registration.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice T. Rajani, dismissing an appeal by the RTA secretary, upheld an order of a single judge directing the authorities to register the vehicle as the chassis of the vehicle was replaced by the manufacturer after it had got damaged in an accident during the warranty period.
The RTA secretary contended that Section 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 does not permit any alteration to be made to the motor vehicle which is at variance with the particulars originally specified by the manufacturer.
One Mohammed Javeed had filed the petition after the RTA refused to register his vehicle with the new chassis number. Earlier, his vehicle met with an accident while it still had a temporary registration number.
The company’s workshop found that the chassis of the vehicle was completely damaged and it was replaced with a new one. The old chassis was scrapped.
The RTA refused to register the vehicle on the ground that the chassis has been changed.
Mr Javeed then moved the High Court where a single judge allowed the petition and directed the RTA to register the vehicle.
The bench, while dismissing the appeal by the RTA held that: “Section 52(1) of the Act is a general norm. It cannot by any stretch of interpretation be understood as a clog on every alteration, much less on an alteration which is compelled by circumstances beyond the reach of the owner.”
