J&K HC Closes Contempt Case Against Transport Commissioner

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh has recently closed contempt proceedings against Transport Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar after a report was submitted showing compliance with the directions issued by the High Court last year with regard to the re-registration of vehicles.

A bench of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh & Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi stated that the contempt petition had become aimless after the compliance report was submitted.

On April 29, 2023, the contempt petition was filed by Zahoor Ahmad Bhat against transport commissioner J&K Hirdesh Kumar and other concerned authorities for their non-compliance with a judgment passed by the bench of Justices Ali Mohammad Magrey & Vinod Chatterji Koul.

The Court gave the following directions in the 2021 judgment:

1. Once a vehicle got registered in any state of India, that shall not be required to be registered elsewhere in India.

2. However, a motor vehicle registered in one state and, if kept for a period exceeding 12 months in another state, shall apply to the Registering Authority of the new state for the assignment of the new registration mark.

3. Where the lifetime tax has been imposed and paid on a motor vehicle at the point of the registration of a vehicle, no further tax can be levied and demanded on the said vehicle, on it being removed from one state to another.

Once the authorities informed the Court that the directions have been complied with, the Court closed the contempt proceedings.