The Jammu Kashmir Government has submitted a report informing the court that it has implemented its directions with regard to the re-registration of outside vehicles in letter and spirit and no registration fee will be charged from the owners of the vehicles procured from outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The Transport Department submitted its report in the court of Chief Justice N Koteswar Singh in which it has been clearly stated that the department has implemented the court directions in letter and spirit and the owners of outside J&K vehicles don’t have to pay the nine percent registration fee.
It is noteworthy that the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kashmir had issued an order under Motor Vehicle Act on 27 March 2021 stating that the vehicles registered outside states operating in Kashmir must be re-registered in Valley and the owners of such vehicles have to pay a registration fee of 9% of the total value of the vehicle.
After the order, the Jammu and Kashmir Police seized scores of vehicles with outside registration numbers. While the vehicle owners were greatly disturbed by this ‘diktat’, the car dealers also suffered losses as there were no buyers for their vehicles.
The order as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust was challenged in court by a local consumer after his vehicle was seized by the police. He filed a petition in the High Court claiming that RTO's order is a violation of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Constitution.
The court quashed the RTO’s order, however, the Transport Commissioner issued yet another notice directing owners of vehicles from outside Jammu and Kashmir to re-register and pay a 9% fee.
Shortly after this, the petitioner filed a contempt petition against the transport department.
The court sought a reply from the officials of the transport department and directed them to submit the report by December 2021.
The transport department, however, filed a report on May 3 after two years and informed the court that the department was complying with the court’s directions. The court accordingly disposed of the contempt of court case against the transport department.