HC questions Delhi govt over failure to regulate sale of old vehicles, refers to Red Fort blast
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
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UP minister clarifies after outrage over comment on Nitish hijab issue; SP files police complaint
Lucknow (PTI): "What would have happened if he touched her somewhere else?" The comment on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling down a hijab from a woman's face was lost in translation and carried no ill intent, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad said on Wednesday as outrage snowballed with the opposition and others asking for an apology.
Attempting to defuse the controversy, the Nishad Party chief said the comment, made in Hindi and labelled misogynistic and crude, was light-hearted and made casually, even as a Samajwadi Party office-bearer filed a complaint with the Lucknow police against the UP minister and the Bihar CM.
"My remark was tweaked and twisted, misinterpreted, its spirit lost in cacophony and translation," the state fisheries minister told PTI as the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party sought an unconditional apology.
"If someone has taken offence, I am willing to take back the words from my side," he said.
Nishad said he belongs to Gorakhpur and the Bhojpuri-speaking belt and expressions and conversational styles differ from region to region.
"In Bhojpuri, this is a common way of urging people not to make too much of any issue and to counsel restraint. I chose to use the same style in Hindi and didn't know it will become such an issue," he said.
"Just as language and expressions vary in Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu, dialects in north India and eastern Uttar Pradesh also differ. That does not mean there was any intention to insult," he said.
Nishad also said Kumar had "merely removed" the veil to verify whether the actual beneficiary of a government scheme was present. He added that the responsibility lay with officials who should have ensured proper arrangements before the programme -- a government event in Patna on Monday.
He added that his remarks carried no ill intent towards any woman, community or religion. "There was neither malice nor any intention of disrespect."
He also alleged that some people were deliberately amplifying the issue for political gain.
Congress' Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai termed Nishad's comment "outrageously anti-women" and said it reflects the mindset of the BJP and its allies.
"We seek unconditional apology failing which we will seek minister's dismissal," Rai told PTI.
SP spokesperson Abbas Haider said Nishad's remarks were "condemnable and undignified".
"I would also like to ask if this is the idea of the BJP led government in UP which the minister has reflected in his statements," Haider said while demanding "an immediate and unconditional apology."
The Aam Aadmi Party's UP unit accused Nishad of making "shameful" and "anti-women" comments, stating that the statement reflected a "crude and misogynistic mindset".
Social media was also filled with posts slamming the minister for his anti-women viewpoint.
Nishad's controversial remark came during an interview with a private channel. "Woh (Kumar) bhi to aadmi hai, kisi ke itna peechhe nahin pad jaana chahiye. Chhoo diya naqaab to kya ho gaya, agar kahin aur chhoo dete to kya ho jaata (He is also a man; one should not go after someone so much. What happened if the veil was removed? What would have happened if he had touched somewhere else?" the minister said.
The video of the interview was circulated widely on social media platforms.
Meanwhile, SP spokesperson Sumaiyya Rana on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Lucknow police against Nishad and Kumar.
She said a video clip of Bihar CM pulling the hijab of a woman has triggered anger among women, prompting her to submit a complaint seeking police action.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Rana said that as someone who herself wears a hijab, she would not remain silent if such an act was committed against her.
She said the complaint also refers to UP minister Sanjay Nishad's remarks on the issue.
Rana said she submitted a written complaint at the Kaisarbagh police station seeking investigation and registration of an FIR.
Alleging delay by the police, Rana said she was initially sent from Kaisarbagh to Gautampalli police station before her complaint was eventually accepted, with police saying an FIR would be registered only after inquiry.
She said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leader Dimple Yadav have condemned the incident, and alleged that such remarks by Nishad were not new.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kaisarbagh, Ratnesh Singh told PTI on Wednesday evening that the matter is currently under investigation and further action would be taken based on the outcome of the probe.
#WATCH | Lucknow: SP leader Sumaiya Rana has logged a complaint with the Kaiserbagh police against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. pic.twitter.com/Nxcllktn8p
— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2025
