Person Holding Light Motor Vehicle Licence Entitled to Rive Transport Vehicles Under 7,500 kg, Says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India on Monday, November 5, said that a person having driving licence for light motor vehicles (LMV) is entitled to drive a transport vehicle of light motor vehicle class nder 7,500 kg.

The judgment rule by five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices Hrishikesh Roy, PS Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra stated that a transport vehicle which has an unladen weight below 7,500 kg, is also an LMV.

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The apex court said that the additional criteria for driving vehicles will apply to only those vehicles which are above 7,500 kg.The Court also upheld its earlier decision in Mukund Dewangan v Oriental Insurance Company Limited in which a three-judge bench of the top court had held that transport vehicles, the gross weight of which do not exceed 7,500 kg, are not excluded from the definition of LMV.

The top court upheld its 2017 verdict which permitted light motor vehicle license holders to drive transport vehicles weighing up to 7500 kilograms. The petitions file by insurance companies failed to provide any empirical proof that LMV license holders by virtue of driving transport vehicles had resulted in more accidents.