RTA office asked to refund Rs 11,300 collected for registration

HYDERABAD: Telangana consumer court has ordered the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Tirumalgherry to refund an amount of Rs 11,300 collected additionally from a person for registration. The RTA was also asked to pay Rs 5,000 towards compensation and Rs 2,500 towards the cost of litigation.

Shiva Kumar Mokkapati, the complainant, had purchased a Wagon-R car and approached the RTA office for registration. The complainant had paid an amount of Rs 300 for temporary registration and Rs 67,440 towards life tax. The complainant claimed that the RTA office demanded an additional amount of Rs 11,300 illegally by mentioning that he had owned a two-wheeler.

Despite the two-wheeler the complainant owned was sold long ago and the certification of registration expired in 2015, he had to pay an additional amount of Rs 11,300 to the RTA office. Therefore, the complainant filed a complaint against RTA for unfair trade practices.

The RTA officer, in his defence, said, since the two-wheeler was still registered in the name of the complainant, according to the CFST database, the complainant was asked to pay a lifetime tax of Rs 11,300 for the registration. The officer said that since no transfer of ownership of the sold two-wheeler was applied by the complainant, it cannot be treated as the vehicle transferred to another person.

The court, hearing both parties, said that the though registration of the two-wheeler expired in 2015, Rs 11,300 was collected for the registration of the new vehicle. The court further said that the RTA office did not have any proof that the alleged two-wheeler owned by the complainant was neither plying on the road nor did it have any application for renewal pending since 2015. Therefore, the court pronounced the verdict in favour of the complainant.