Delhi High Court Hears Vintage Car Owner’s Plea
The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Government and other parties in response to a plea from Parmeet Singh Bhalla, a vintage car owner. Bhalla is seeking permission to retain the original registration number ‘DHB 0059’ for his 1965 Cadillac, which has been registered since 1972. The plea argues that the original number is crucial for preserving the car’s history and cultural significance.
Background
In 2021, the government introduced new rules for vintage vehicle registration, allowing the retention of old numbers. Bhalla’s car qualifies as a vintage vehicle under these rules, but he was assigned a new number ‘DL VA 1317’ due to a lack of options on the VAHAN portal.
Legal Proceedings
Justice Prateek Jalan has asked the Central Government, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and other respondents to reply within four weeks. The next hearing is scheduled for February 24, 2025. Bhalla’s legal team, including Advocates Sanjay Dewan and Rhea Gandhi, argues that the new registration violates the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021.
The plea highlights confusion in implementing the new rules, leading to all vintage vehicles being treated as fresh registrations. Bhalla seeks to have the new number set aside and retain the original registration.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big building where important people called judges work. They help solve problems and make sure everyone follows the law in Delhi, which is a city in India.
Vintage Car -: A vintage car is an old car that is often considered special or valuable because it was made many years ago. People like to keep them in good condition and sometimes show them off.
Registration Number -: A registration number is a unique set of letters and numbers given to a car. It’s like a name tag for the car, so people know who it belongs to and can keep track of it.
VAHAN portal -: The VAHAN portal is an online system in India where information about vehicles is stored. It helps manage things like registration numbers and vehicle details.
Central Government -: The Central Government is the main government of India. It makes important decisions and rules for the whole country, not just one city or state.
2021 rules -: The 2021 rules are new guidelines made in the year 2021. They allow vintage car owners to keep their old registration numbers, which is important for people who love their old cars.
