[BoneCollector]

A Jammu and Kashmir Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 5000 on owner of a Thar for illegal modifications carried out on his car.

A Jammu & Kashmir court on Wednesday imposed fine of ₹5,000 on one Zahid Iqbal Wani for carrying out illegal modifications to his Mahindra Thar vehicle in contravention of Section 52 of Indian Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 (MV Act) [UT of Jammu and Kashmir V/s Zahid Iqbal Wani].

The judgment was passed after the violator appeared before the court and pleaded guilty for modifying/ altering the vehicle in question from its original condition, as specified in the registration certificate (RC) of the vehicle.

"Since the violator has contravened the provision of MV Act, therefore after considering the fact that no previous violation has been proved and after taking a lenient view, a fine of Rs. 5000 only, is imposed and in default of payment of fine he shall suffer one-month simple imprisonment. The challan is accordingly disposed of and shall be consigned to records after its due completion," the judgment said.

Link

[shancz]

The moment I looked at the pic the first thing that came to mind was the consequences if this is involved in a front end collision.

Off road enthusiasts should have a clear view about the difference between off road capable and road legal.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by shancz

The moment I looked at the pic the first thing that came to mind was the consequences if this is involved in a front end collision.

Off road enthusiasts should have a clear view about the difference between off road capable and road legal.

Depends on the circumstances that car is used. If it is almost all used in hill (or mountain, as it is J&K) and forest tracks and only comes on to the roads to eg fill diesel or get serviced at a dealership or garage, then the fine should not be imposed.

[Rshrey22]

Originally Posted by hserus

Depends on the circumstances that car is used. If it is almost all used in hill (or mountain, as it is J&K) and forest tracks and only comes on to the roads to eg fill diesel or get serviced at a dealership or garage, then the fine should not be imposed.

Bro, anytime that car goes on public roads, it is a hazard for other cars. Not being against off roaders in any way but this type of metal bumper modification is very dangerous for the other car in a head on collision which is pretty common in hilly roads.

I do realise that swapping the metal bumper with plastic every time you go on road is not possible, but that doesn't change the fact that it is still a nuisance for other cars on road.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by hserus

Depends on the circumstances that car is used. If it is almost all used in hill (or mountain, as it is J&K) and forest tracks and only comes on to the roads to eg fill diesel or get serviced at a dealership or garage, then the fine should not be imposed.

Exactly, but how would that be monitored/proven is a concern. I guess the mods like the winch itself wouldn't be an issue but the front bull bar seems unnecessary.
Probably that's what the fine was for.

Not sure how it's done in other places.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by shancz

Exactly, but how would that be monitored/proven is a concern. I guess the mods like the winch itself wouldn't be an issue but the front bull bar seems unnecessary..

Much too big bull bar as well.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

A Jammu and Kashmir Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 5000 on owner of a Thar for illegal modifications carried out on his car.

...

Meanwhile in Kerala.

Originally Posted by shancz

The moment I looked at the pic the first thing that came to mind was the consequences if this is involved in a front end collision.

Off road enthusiasts should have a clear view about the difference between off road capable and road legal.

Jokes apart, While, I completely agree with respect to the consequences involved in a front end collision, I would humbly suggest to have an insight to the overlanding culture in the developed countries.

The offroad rigs in the Oz and US makes us drool, watching them run 'ON-ROAD'

[mygodbole]

Thanks BoneCollector for that information. My do paisa (two cents for the unaware):
Point 1) Anyone who pleads guilty of knowingly modifying any vehicle, must be held accountable to the full extent of the law. We are a nation of law-fearing citizens = No danda, no fear. Someone who spends a few lakhs on modifying a vehicle will not be bothered by a Rs.5,000/- fine.
Point 2) I am pained to read "developed nations". Rich? Maybe. More in tune with the needs/desires/requirements of their citizens is more likely. Would someone in these nations ever consider breaking the laws of their own land? Strict laws, social norms and actual enforcement of the laws would simply make it un-appealing. Indian 'jugaad' has circumvented more Indian laws than plankton in the oceans. I WILL mention all those wrong-side driving narratives, high-beams, overloading of trucks, two-, three-, four and often six-wheelers that drive with an unsaid norm of (in Hindi) "Hat ja baaju, nahin to udaa doonga, pahuncha doonga seedhe thane" (Imperfect translation: Get out of my way or I will hit you and get you involved with the cops.).
Point 3) Off-road and on-road are not about the vehicle, they are about accessibility. A case in point is the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway that sells is like crazy in Australia and South Africa and yet is not available in Hamara Bharat Mahaan. Also, army auction 4x4 trucks are snapped up in North East, Punjab, Himachal for those that need off-road capability but (mostly) stay off state and national highways. They DO drive back to their homes that may take them on certain stretches, but none will drive (willingly?) from their city to another city on highways.
Having said all that, I do agree that some need dual/multi-purpose vehicles. And the main road-blocks are the relevant laws created for the massive majority that drives on roads.
Case in point is the conversation on caravans in India on Team-BHP. Any modifications = commercial vehicle. Commercial vehicle = legal and administrative headaches for private citizens not involved in any commercial venture.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

I would humbly suggest to have an insight to the overlanding culture in the developed countries.

I will check that out, Thanks.
They're absolutely a drool worthy sight to watch on road, like the Hummer H1, even the latest Gurkha

The technical trails and obstacles is what these mods are meant to tackle and they leave me impressed but only in those use cases. Just like rally cars.

I am neither an off road enthusiast nor have I ever driven such a vehicle but looking at the KL chap's vehicle you shared, how easy would it be for him to "miss" another chap on an Activa on either side during a left/right turn ?
The bottomline is that when such mods are done I don't think safety of other road users is in mind. Things like blindspots, illumination are the first casualties while passive safety will be compromised further.

How its done in other countries, I don't know but either they would've set rules and heightened accountability in case of mishaps or it could be a grey area. Whatever that is but if their monitoring and enforcement is sound the threats/issues are alleviated to a great degree.

I don't really have an answer myself on a solution and given our traffic behaviour and driving etiquettes I am not very excited about it too.
Only thing I can come up with is mods which are certified so most likely coming from factory or reputed mod shops.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by shancz

looking at the KL chap's vehicle you shared, how easy would it be for him to "miss" another chap on an Activa on either side during a left/right turn ?

The bottomline is that when such mods are done I don't think safety of other road users is in mind. Things like blindspots, illumination are the first casualties while passive safety will be compromised further.

How its done in other countries, I don't know but either they would've set rules and heightened accountability in case of mishaps or it could be a grey area. Whatever that is but if their monitoring and enforcement is sound the threats/issues are alleviated to a great degree.

I don't really have an answer myself on a solution and given our traffic behaviour and driving etiquettes I am not very excited about it too.
Only thing I can come up with is mods which are certified so most likely coming from factory or reputed mod shops.

The buses, trucks, and goods carriers all have worse mods, all made of metal. Don't they pose the same sort of threat? This selective implementation of rules is what we should address and oppose as an automotive forum.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

And the main road-blocks are the relevant laws created for the massive majority that drives on roads.

This is a valid point. We don't have proper laws that allow legal mods. Any alteration is deemed illegal which is illogical.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Don't they pose the same sort of threat? This selective implementation of rules is what we should address and oppose as an automotive forum.

Of course they do, why is it even a question ?

We're talking about the off roaders here and they got penalised. If an Alto had installed front bull bars it would attract the same fine and action.
I am not sure what's selective about it ?

Either way the whole point is to install mods which are approved and if any vehicle is being modified for a sport it should be kept in its target environment regardless of the size and capacity of the vehicle.

[mvadg]

If such modifications are illegal, then far more dangerous designs from the manufacturer are obviously OK. How do they allow bulldozers and worse in traffic alongside two-wheelers?

[shancz]

Originally Posted by mvadg

- If such modifications are illegal, then far more dangerous designs from the manufacturer are obviously OK.

- How do they allow bulldozers and worse in traffic alongside two-wheelers?

- Obviously not and that shouldn't happen as manufacturers have to abide by the laws which might/might not be the case with outside modifications.

- Guessing those would have exceptions and some guidelines for operating(like speed) but from a common sense perspective they serve a purpose for public good like clearing landslides and roadblocks apart from construction.
The modified Thar in this case doens't do any of that.


I still fail to understand why the point on illegal modifications is triggering such comments and would be great if someone can point out where did I err.

Comparing a modified Thar with front bull bars to a Bulldozer/Excavator ? Seriously ?

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by shancz

I still fail to understand why the point on illegal modifications is triggering such comments and would be great if someone can point out where did I err.

Comparing a modified Thar with front bull bars to a Bulldozer/Excavator ? Seriously ?

The point is that a modified Thar is far less lethal than a bulldozer or the 100s of other contraptions that ply on our roads on a daily basis. So just targetting private cars clearly indicates that the intent is not to make the roads safer, but rather just fleece money from soft targets. And this is what irks many of us.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

- The point is that a modified Thar is far less lethal than a bulldozer or the 100s of other contraptions that ply on our roads on a daily basis.

- So just targetting private cars clearly indicates that the intent is not to make the roads safer, but rather just fleece money from soft targets.

- And this is what irks many of us.

- This is the very comparison I can't comprehend. The modified Thar doens't serve any better purpose other than personal gratification whereas the bulldozer has a clearly defined purpose of public good and it isn't modified.
Since you said it how do you propose a bulldozer should reach its destination ?

- This I agree but the other option is to let anarchy prevail ? Enforcement has to start somewhere and obviously it will start with the easier targets but that doesn't mean it's limited to that.

- I agree that this is a grey area like mentioned in the initial posts and much more deliberation has to be done to cater to everyone's needs.

But I get a feeling that somehow I am being treated as a government agent and it has started to give a social media vibe, IMHO.

So I think it's best I withdraw from this discussion as I have failed to convey my points accurately.