Brand-new Honda Activa seized; Issued a fine of massive Rs 1 lakh

With the new, amended MV Act in place, there are many absurd fines issued across the country. While many of these fines have become viral on the Internet, till now, no vehicle received a fine more than the value of the vehicle itself. Here is a case from Odisha, where a brand-new Honda Activa was seized by the cops. The cops also issued a fine of Rs 1 lakh to the Activa owner.

The Honda Activa was bought on 28th August in Bhubaneshwar. The scooter was flagged down by the Road transport officials at a regular check post in Cuttack on September 12. After the scooter was stopped in the Berang area, the officials found that the vehicle did not have a registration number. The RTO officials levied a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the dealer and impounded the scooter for not bearing a registration plate. The fine was imposed in accordance with the new MV Act.

The RTO has also recommended the Bhubaneshwar officials to cancel the trade license of the dealership who delivered the scooter without any documents. In India, all the new vehicles need to get registration number, insurance and pollution certificate, which has to be delivered by the dealership before handing over the vehicle over to the customer. This is not a new rule but has been there for a long time now. However, the penalty rates have gone up with the new amended MV Act.

It is not known how the customer will get the scooter or how much fine will have to be paid by the owner. Many dealerships across India use Trade Certificates on the new vehicle. These certificates are only meant to be used by the dealership’s internal work. The dealer can put these trade certificates in place when the vehicle needs to be transported from the stockyard to the showroom or vice-versa. However, once the vehicle is sold, it has to go out with a Temporary Registration number or a permanent registration number. In almost all the states in India, dealerships can get the registration number within a few days. In Delhi, the dealerships can even get the permanent registration number online.

Many states including Odisha have not deferred the implementation of the new MV Act. While states like Gujarat have reduced the fines and has also removed the fines for triple riding and helmet for the pillion. Odisha, on the other hand, has deferred implementing the new laws last week. This was done to give the motorists some time to get the documents in place. In Odisha alone, the authorities have collected above Rs 1 crore from errant drivers under the new MV Act.