New Delhi [India], October 24 (HBTV): A vintage car owner has approached the Delhi High Court seeking an order to allow him to retain the original registration number, 'DHB 0059,' for his car, which has recently been allotted a new number.

The petition emphasizes that a vintage vehicle’s original registration number preserves its history and legacy. The original registration number is considered the "heart and soul" of a vintage vehicle, and reassigning a new number would diminish the charm, cultural significance, and historical value associated with the car.

The petition is scheduled for a hearing on Friday before Justice Prateek Jalan. The petitioner has named the Central Government, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and other authorities as respondents, seeking a directive allowing him to retain his car's original registration number, 'DHB 0059.' He also requests the court to set aside the newly allotted registration number.

Filed by Advocate Rhea Gandhi, the petition states that the petitioner owns a vintage Cadillac, manufactured by General Motors in 1965, and registered as 'DHB 0059' since September 20, 1972. The petitioner is the car's sixth owner, and the car is registered in his name with the registering authority at Wazirpur, Delhi.

The plea notes that, in 2021, the government recognized the need to regulate laws and policies for vintage vehicles, prompting the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to issue the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021, via a Gazette Notification dated July 15, 2021. These rules introduced the formal process for registering vintage vehicles in India.

Prior to this notification, no standardized regulations existed for vintage vehicle registration across Indian states. The new rules aimed to streamline the registration process, including provisions for retaining old registration numbers for existing vehicles, alongside introducing a unique VA series for new vintage registrations.

According to the amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, all vehicles over 50 years old and maintained in their original form qualify as "vintage motor vehicles" and require special registration. The petitioner's vehicle meets this 50-year threshold and has been preserved in its original condition, as specified in the July 15, 2021, notification.

The petitioner applied to register his car as a "vintage car" on the VAHAN portal, managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the updated rules.

The plea refers to Rule 81B (3) and (4) of the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021, which allow for the retention of old registration numbers for vintage vehicles. These re-registration rules, effective April 1, 2022, state that vehicles with valid registration documents are exempt from re-registration, whereas unregistered vehicles or those lacking requisite documents are assigned new series numbers.

Despite clear provisions for retaining old registration numbers, the petitioner alleges that no option for this exists on the VAHAN portal. The petitioner assumed he would retain his old registration number since he had all valid documents, as specified by the rules. He uploaded all required documents and paid the INR 20,000 fee under Rule 81C of the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021.

However, the petitioner was arbitrarily assigned a new registration number, 'DL VA 1317,' instead of 'DHB 0059,' allegedly in defiance of the Central Motor Vehicles (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2021. The petitioner contends that this action is a violation of Rule 81B (3) and (4), as his car is already registered and has all necessary documents.

After consulting with RTO officials, the petitioner was informed that all vintage vehicles are currently being treated as fresh registrations, regardless of prior registration status. Due to internal confusion regarding the implementation of the new rules, there is currently no provision on the VAHAN portal for retaining old registration numbers for vintage vehicles.

(ANI)