CHAPTER XIV of Motor Vehicles Act

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 211. Power to levy fee.

Any rule which the Central Government or the State Government is empowered to make under this Act may, notwithstanding the absence of any express provision to that effect, provide for the levy of such fees in respect of applications, amendment of documents, issue of certificates, licences, permits, tests, endorsements, badges, plates, countersignatures, authorisation, supply of statistics or copies of documents or orders and for any other purpose or matter involving the rendering of any service by the officers or authorities under this Act or any rule made thereunder as may be considered necessary:

Provided that the Government may, if it considers necessary so to do, in the public interest, by general or special order, exempt any class of persons from the payment of any such fee either in part or in full.

Section 212. Publication, commencement and laying of rules and notifications.

(1) The power to make rules under this Act is subject to the condition of the rules being made after previous publication.

(2) All rules made under this Act shall be published in the Official Gazette, and shall unless some later date is appointed, come into force on the date of such publication.

(3) Every rule made by any State Government shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made before the State Legislature.

(4) Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act, every scheme made by the Central Government under sub-section (1) of section 75 and sub-section (1) of section 163 and every notification issued by the Central Government under sub-section (4) of section 41, sub-section (1) of section 58, sub-section (1) of section 59, the proviso to sub-section (1) of section 112, *section 118, sub-section (4) of section 163A, *section 164, section 177A and sub-section (4) of section 213 shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule, scheme or notification or both Houses agree that the rule or scheme should not be made or the notification should not be issued, the rule, scheme or notification shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule, scheme or notification.

*(5) Every notification issued by the State Government under section 210A shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature where it consists of two Houses, or where such Legislature consists of one House, before that House, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, the House agrees or both Houses agree, as the case may be, in making any modification in the notification or the House agrees or both Houses agree, as the case may be, that the notification should not be issued, the notification shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that notification.

*Inserted by Act 32 of 2019, s. 91 (with effect from 1-9-2019)

Section 213. Appointment of motor vehicles officers.

(1) The State Government may, for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this Act, establish a Motor Vehicles Department and appoint as officers thereof such persons as it thinks fit.

(2) Every such officer shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

(3) The State Government may make rules to regulate the discharge by officers of the Motor Vehicles Department of their functions and in particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power to prescribe the uniform to be worn by them, the authorities to which they shall be subordinate, the duties to be performed by them, the powers (including the powers exercisable by police officers under this Act) to be exercised by them, and the conditions governing the exercise of such powers.

(4) The Central Government may, having regard to the objects of the Act, by notification in the Official Gazette, prescribe the minimum qualifications which the said officers or any class thereof shall possess for being appointed as such.

(5) In addition to the powers that may be conferred on any officer of the Motor Vehicles Department under sub-section (3), such officer as may be empowered by the State Government in this behalf shall also have the power to,-

(a) make such examination and inquiry as he thinks fit in order to ascertain whether the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder are being observed;

(b) with such assistance, if any, as he thinks fit, enter, inspect and search any premises which is in the occupation of a person who, he has reason to believe, has committed an offence under this Act or in which a motor vehicle in respect of which such offence has been committed is kept:

Provided that,-
(i) any such search without a warrant shall be made only by an officer of the rank of a gazetted officer;
(ii) where the offence is punishable with fine only the search shall not be made after sunset and before sunrise;
(iii) where the search is made without a warrant, the gazetted officer concerned shall record in writing the grounds for not obtaining a warrant and report to his immediate superior that such search has been made;

(c) examine any person and require the production of any register or other document maintained in pursuance of this Act, and take on the spot or otherwise statements of any person which he may consider necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act;

(d) seize or take copies of any registers or documents or portions thereof as he may consider relevant in respect of an offence under this Act which he has reason to believe has been committed;

(e) launch prosecutions in respect of any offence under this Act and to take a bond for ensuring the attendance of the offender before any court;

(f) exercise such other powers as may be prescribed:

Provided that no person shall be compelled under this sub-section to answer any question or make any statement tending to incriminate himself.

(6) The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall, so far as may be apply to any search or seizure under this section as they apply to any search or seizure under the authority of any warrant issued under section 94 of that Code.

Section 214. Effect of appeal and revision on orders passed by original authority.

(1) Where an appeal has been preferred or an application for revision has been made against any order passed by an original authority under this Act, the appeal or the application for revision shall not operate as a stay of the order passed by the original authority and such order shall remain in force pending the disposal of the appeal or the application for revision, as the case may be, unless the prescribed appellate authority or revisional authority otherwise directs.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), if an application made by a person for the renewal of permit has been rejected by the original authority and such person has preferred an appeal or made an application for revision under this Act against such rejection, the appellate authority or, as the case may be, the revisional authority may by order direct that the permit shall, notwithstanding the expiration of the term specified therein, continue to be valid until the appeal or application for revision is disposed of.

(3) No order made by a competent authority under this Act shall be reversed or altered on appeal or revision on account of any error, omission or irregularity in the proceedings, unless it appears to the prescribed appellate authority or revisional authority, as the case may be, that such error, omission or irregularity has, in fact, occasioned a failure of justice.

Section 215. Road Safety Councils and Committees.

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute for the country a National Road Safety Council consisting of a Chairman and such other members as that Government considers necessary and on such terms and conditions as that Government may determine.

(2) A State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute for the State a State Road Safety Council consisting of a Chairman and such other members as that Government considers necessary and on such terms and conditions as that Government may determine.

(3) A State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute District Road Safety Committee for each district in the State consisting of a Chairman and such other members as that Government considers necessary and on such terms and conditions as that Government may determine.

(4) The Councils and Committees referred to in this section shall discharge such functions relating to the road safety programmes as the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, may, having regard to the objects of the Act, specify.

Section 215A. Power of Central Government and State Government to delegate.*

Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act,-

(a) the Central Government shall have the power to delegate any power or functions that have been conferred upon it by the Act to any public servant or public authority and authorise such public servant or public authority to discharge any of its powers, functions and duties under this Act;

(b) the State Government shall have the power to delegate any power or functions that have been conferred upon it by the Act to any public servant or public authority and authorise such public servant or public authority to discharge any of its powers, functions and duties under this Act.

*Inserted by Act 32 of 2019, s. 91 (with effect from 1-9-2019)

Section 215B. National Road Safety Board.

(1) The Central Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a National Road Safety Board consisting of a Chairman, such number of representatives from the State Governments, and such other members as it may consider necessary and on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

(2) The National Board shall render advice to the Central Government or State Government, as the case may be, on all aspects pertaining to road safety and traffic management including, but not limited to,-

(a) the standards of design, weight, construction, manufacturing process, operation and maintenance of motor vehicles and of safety equipment;

(b) the registration and licensing of motor vehicles;

(d) the facilitation of safe and sustainable utilisation of road transport ecosystem;

(e) the promotion of new vehicle technology;

(f) the safety of vulnerable road users;

(g) programmes for educating and sensitising drivers and other road users; and

(h) such other functions as may be prescribed by the Central Government from time to time.

Section 215C. Power of Central Government to make rules.

(1) The Central Government may make rules for the purposes of carrying into effect the provisions of this Chapter.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for-

(a) the use of electronic forms and means for the filing of documents, issue or grant of licence, permit, sanction, approval or endorsements and the receipt or payment of money as referred to in section 211A;

(b) the minimum qualifications which the Motor Vehicles Department officers or any class thereof shall be required to possess for appointment as such, as referred to in sub-section (4) of section 213;

(c) the terms and conditions of appointment of Chairman and Members of the National Road Safety Board under sub-section (1) of section 215B;

(d) the other functions of the National Road Safety Board under sub-section (2) of section 215B; and

(e) any other matter which is to be, or may be, prescribed, or in respect of which provision is to be made by rules by the Central Government.

Section 215D. Power of State Government to make rules.

(1) The State Government may make rules for the purposes of carrying into effect, the provisions of this Chapter, other than the matters specified in section 215C.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for-
(a) the use of electronic forms and means for the filing of documents, issue or grant of licence, permit, sanction, approval or endorsements and the receipt or payment of money as referred to in section 211A;

(b) the duties and functions of the officers of the Motor Vehicle Department, the powers to be exercised by such officers (including the powers exercisable by police officers under this Act) and the conditions governing the exercise of such powers, the uniform to be worn by them, the authorities to which they shall be subordinate as referred to in sub-section (3) of section 213;

(c) such other powers as may be exercised by officers of the Motor Vehicles Department as referred to in clause (f) of sub-section (5) of section 213; and

(d) any other matter which is to be, or may be, prescribed, or in respect of which provision is to be made by rules by the State Government.

Section 216. Power to remove difficulties.

(1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Central Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, make such provisions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty:
Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of three years from the date of commencement of this Act.

(2) Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before each House of Parliament.

Section 217. Repeal and savings.

(1) The Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4 of 1939) and any law corresponding to that Act in force in any State immediately before the commencement of this Act in that State (hereafter in this section referred to as the repealed enactments) are hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding the repeal by sub-section (1) of the repealed enactments,-
(a) any notification, rule, regulation, order or notice issued, or any appointment or declaration made, or exemption granted, or any confiscation made, or any penalty or fine imposed, any forfeiture, cancellation or any other thing done, or any other action taken under the repealed enactments, and in force immediately before such commencement shall, so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be deemed to have been issued, made, granted, done or taken under the corresponding provision of this Act;

(b) any certificate of fitness or registration or licence or permit issued or granted under the repealed enactments shall continue to have effect after such commencement under the same conditions and for the same period as if this Act had not been passed;

(c) any document referring to any of the repealed enactments or the provisions thereof, shall be construed as referring to this Act or to the corresponding provision of this Act;

(d) the assignment of distinguishing marks by the registering authority and the manner of display on motor vehicles in accordance with the provision of the repealed enactments shall, after the commencement of this Act, continue to remain in force until a notification under sub-section (6) of section 41 of this Act is issued;

(e) any scheme made under section 68C of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4 of 1939) or under the corresponding law, if any, in force in any State and pending immediately before the commencement of this Act shall be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of section 100 of this Act;

(f) the permits issued under sub-section (1A) of section 68F of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4 of 1939), or under the corresponding provision, if any, in force in any State immediately before the commencement of this Act shall continue to remain in force until the approved scheme under Chapter VI of this Act is published.

(3) Any penalty payable under any of the repealed enactments may be recovered in the manner provided by or under this Act, but without prejudice to any action already taken for the recovery of such penalty under the repealed enactments.

(4) The mention of particular matters in this section shall not be held to prejudice or affect the general application of section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), with regard to the effect of repeals.

Section 217A. Renewal of permits, driving licences and registration granted under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939.

Notwithstanding the repeal by sub-section (1) of section 217 of the enactments referred to in that sub-section, any certificate of fitness or registration or licence or permit issued or granted under the said enactments may be renewed under this Act.