These unauthorised modifications to vehicles could land you in trouble in Kerala

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered the State authorities to ensure that fitness certificates issued for vehicles that are later found to be fitted with illegal alterations or modifications are cancelled immediately [Suo Motu v Union of India & Ors.]..Justices Anil K Narendran and Harisankar V Menon further instructed the authorities to ensure that vehicles with unauthorized light signaling devices, additional wirings, or alternate power sources are not issued fitness certificates."We direct the registering authorities in the State to take necessary steps to ensure that the transport vehicles produced for inspection for issuing fitness certificate are not fitted with any such unauthorised fittings. When vehicles are subsequently found in public places fitted with unauthorised lights and other unauthorised fitting with the help of unauthorised body builders, proceedings should be initiated to cancel the fitness certificate of such vehicles, when they are brought for inspection for registration," the Court ordered..It added that extensively modified vehicles should not be returned to owners for restoration. Instead, such vehicles should be presented to the jurisdictional magistrate for initiating proceedings under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act (penalties for driving a vehicle without registration) and other relevant provisions, the Court said.Similarly, four-wheelers and two-wheelers fitted with wide tires protruding out of wheel arches or mudguards, and other extra fittings posing significant safety risks will also have to be dealt with strictly to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users, the Court added..The Division Bench passed the order in a a suo motu case to check on the unauthorised use of State or official emblems in vehicles. In this case, the Court also decided to monitor the use of modified vehicles fitted with unauthorized lights and exhaust systems that contribute to pollution and violate road safety standards.In a May 31 order, the Court had earlier taken note of vloggers who take videos from the driver's cabin of such modified vehicles while the vehicle is moving. The Court observed that such vloggers should face action under the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, as they are disrupting the driver’s concentration and endangering road users.The Court had also noted that the owner responsible for illegally modifying a vehicle should be visited with a fine of ₹5,000 per alteration under the Motor Vehicles Act..Kerala High Court orders crackdown on modified vehicles, vloggers taking videos from inside moving vehicles.During the hearing on Tuesday (July 30), the Court took note of the State's submission that a ₹5,000 penalty has been imposed for each illegal light fitted on a stage carrier (bus) that collided with students near a zebra crossing on July 8 in Madappilly, Kozhikode.The Court was told that the Vadakara regional transport office (RTO) authority inspected the vehicle on July 13 and that the fitness certificate of the vehicle has now been canceled. The vehicle was also produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class at Vadakara for prosecution, it was further submitted.