Transport Ministry: Cars of PM Narendra Modi & President Ramnath Kovind have to display registration numbers

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of India Ramnath Kovind can no longer use cars without registration numbers. The transport ministry of India has out memos to the secretaries of the President and Vice-president, asking them to ensure that the cars of the country’s constitutional heads mandatorily display registration numbers. PM Modi’s car has already begun displaying a registration number.

The Union road transport and highways ministry (MORTH) had said this regarding registration numbers on cars belonging to the president and vice-president,

In light of the provisions contained in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, it is requested that it may be ensured that all the vehicles of the Rashtrapati Bhawan also display the registration mark as per the rules.

The Section 41 (b) of the Motor Vehicle Act states that ‘the registering authority shall assign to the vehicle, for display thereon, a distinguishing mark (in this Act referred to as the registration mark) consisting of one of the groups of such of those letters and followed by such letters and figures as are allotted to the state by the central government from time to time by notification in the official gazette, and displayed and shown on the motor vehicle in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed by the central government.‘

This means that even the heads of the government and constitutional posts need to use registration numbers on the car. In the past, a lot of top constitutional authorities were not displaying registration numbers on their vehicles, instead choosing to only display the state emblem of India.

This prompted a citizen’s action group called Nyayabhoomi to file a case against these vehicles in the Delhi High Court, asking for action against these vehicles for breaking the law. The court asked the government to respond to this allegations, following which the memo to the president and vice president were sent.

Via HT