Seize all BS IV vehicles, probe registration scam: HC to DGP

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police (DGP) to ensure that not even a single Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) motor vehicle that had been fraudulently sold and registered in the State, after the deadline fixed by the Supreme Court, continues to ply on the roads. All such vehicles should be seized and handed over to respective RTOs, it said.

“By tweaking documents and fraudulently registering BS IV vehicles, a major malpractice had taken place. This huge racket would not have happened without the involvement of the transport department officials. Hence, a thorough investigation is required since the respondents are supposed to comply with the mandatory directions issued by the Supreme Court in this regard,” said Justice N Anand Venkatesh.

Hearing a petition by R Yuvaraj from Namakkal, seeking return of his seized vehicle, the justice said the Transport Commissioner should share the details of such vehicles with the Commissioners/SPs so that the vehicles can be seized. “Identify all the accused involved in the racket and complete the investigation as expeditiously as possible,” the court said.

During the course of the hearing, Additional Advocate General V Arun submitted that the Supreme Court had fixed March 31, 2020, as the deadline for the sale and registration of BS-IV vehicles in order to contain air pollution.

“In violation of the court diktat, more than 290 BS IV vehicles and 25 other vehicles had been registered fraudulently between November 1, 2020, and September 22, 2022. Therefore, the Transport Department has undertaken an exercise to identify such vehicles and cancel their registrations. Serious complications would arise if the petitioner ends up driving the car and meets with an accident, especially if its registration is cancelled. The car owners were not cooperating with the Transport officials in identifying the sellers of these vehicles,” he submitted.