Delhi HC to Hear Vintage Car Owner's Plea Over Registration Number Dispute

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Government over a plea from a vintage car owner to retain his original registration number. Despite new rules allowing old numbers, the VAHAN portal assigned a new one. The case highlights issues with implementing vintage vehicle regulations.

A vintage car owner's plea to retain the original registration number of his car has prompted the Delhi High Court to issue a notice to the Central Government. Justice Prateek Jalan has sought a response from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and other authorities within four weeks. The next hearing is scheduled for February 24, 2025.

Advocates Sanjay Dewan and Rhea Gandhi, representing the car owner Parmeet Singh Bhalla, argued that under current policy, vintage car registrations can be retained. Despite this, Bhalla's 1972-registered Cadillac was assigned a new number due to anomalies in the VAHAN portal.

The plea emphasizes the historic and cultural significance of original registration numbers for vintage vehicles. It highlights the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021, which provide for the retention of old numbers, but are reportedly not implemented correctly through the VAHAN portal, leading to widespread confusion and misassignment of numbers.

(With inputs from agencies.)