Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on clubbed petition seeking quashing of Regional Transport Officer Kashmir’s circular on March 27, mandating the owners who have purchased their vehicles bearing outside number to apply for a new registration within fortnight.

“Heard. Judgment is reserved” ordered a division bench of Justices Ali Mohammad Magrey and Vinod Chatterji Koul.

The court has already made it clear that pendency of the petitions would not be an impediment for the Transport Authorities to screen the vehicles with non-local registration mark for checking their veracity vis-a-vis the documents and the bonafide entry into the territorial limits Jammu and Kashmir. However, the court has said that such exercise shall be undertaken by the officials of the transport department only.

The RTO Kashmir on Wednesday submitted that the decision to notify the circular was taken in a meeting convened by the Secretary to the Government, Transport Department for ensuring screening of the vehicle which bears the non-local registration.

The government has already filed reply to clubbed petitions, seeking directions to quash RTO Kashmir’s circular dated March 27, mandating the vehicle owners who have purchased their vehicles bearing outside registration number to apply for a new registration as per the provisions of Section 47/50 of Motor Vehicle Act 1988 within a prescribed period of 15 days, failing which action as warranted shall be initiated against them.

One of petitioners have also sought directions also clarify by way of a circular or order on the issue of levying of tax on the vehicles purchased outside J&K if the previous owner of the vehicle has already paid the tax on the vehicle.

The petitioner also sought directions to clarify by way of circular from which period the tax is to be levied on the vehicles. gns