Kerala High Court: Can Use Sunfilm On Car Glass

Windscreen films and curtains are something that is illegal to install on vehicles. While we know there are several benefits of installing such sun films on cars, including controlling the temperature inside the cabin of the car and so on, the government and authorities do not allow anyone to do this. However, the Kerala High Court has a different opinion on the matter and has now come forward with a ruling that it is permissible to maintain windscreens or window glasses of motor vehicles with ‘safety glass’ or ‘safety glazing,’ including ‘glazing faced with plastics.’

However, there is a catch. The court, while talking about this matter, mentioned that the safety glazing on the window and windscreen should follow the prescribed standards. Not only did the Kerala High Court give the ruling in favor of car owners, it also said that the state government and officials cannot penalize customers for using it.

A bench consisting of Justice N. Nagaresh issued this directive in response to the petitions when a consumer challenged the government’s decision to penalize him for the use of such safety glazing. One of the petitioners claimed that motor vehicle officials imposed a fine, alleging non-compliance with visual light transmission (VLT) standards for his vehicle’s windscreen. A shopkeeper selling such glazing film in Kerala, along with a vehicle accessories shop owner, also approached the high court, challenging similar penalization.

The bench, while considering this petition, mentioned that in addition to safety glass, safety glazing is permitted under an amendment to Rule 100 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, effective from April 1, 2021.

If a motor vehicle’s windscreen or windows are equipped with toughened or laminated glass and it complies with Indian Standards and the permissible VLT, it qualifies as ‘glazing faced with plastics’ under the definition of ‘glazing’ in Indian Standard IS 2553 (Part 2) (First Revision): 2019 and Global Technical Regulation. Such materials — providing at least 70% VLT on the windscreen and rear window, and 50% VLT on the side windows — are permissible for use.

As per the standards, the films on the front and rear windscreens must have 70 percent visibility, while the side glasses should let 50 percent of the light in. This way, the driver and the occupants will save themselves from the bright sun while on the road and also ensure better mileage, as the air conditioning won’t have to work as hard as in a car without glazing.

The state government argued in court that only those who affix cooling films or glazing materials onto already manufactured safety glass should be penalized. This was also rejected by the court. The court stated that it is not possible for any officer to determine if the glazing was applied by the manufacturer or if it came from the factory.

The bench also stated that some premium-category cars come with such safety glazing from the factory, and it would be unfair to deny people who own less expensive cars the chance to install such plastic glazing.

It should be noted that the Supreme Court of India had banned the use of sun films on any vehicles and called it an illegal modification after it came across several instances where cars with dark sun films were used to commit crimes in different parts of the country.