The High Court has quashed the State government’s move to impose lifetime tax on such vehicles

Six months after the High Court of Karnataka quashed the State government’s move to impose lifetime tax on non-Karnataka registered vehicles, motorists say they continue to be “harassed” for payment of road tax.

On Sunday morning, an undergraduate student from Kerala was stopped by the traffic police in M.G. Road. The police demanded the student show proof that road tax had been paid for the Kerala-registered vehicle.

“We told them we had bought the vehicle a few months ago. They refused to let us go and insisted that we pay a fine of Rs. 2,000. When we said we don’t have the money, they saw into our wallet, took Rs. 300 and let us go,” the student, who requested anonymity, told The Hindu over the phone.

It was in March that the High Court declared as “unconstitutional” a law that compelled owners of non-Karnataka vehicles to pay lifetime tax if they use such vehicles in Karnataka beyond 30 days. In July, a Division Bench of the court upheld the verdict.

The student added: “We told the traffic policemen that the order had been quashed. They started to argue, saying we should leave the vehicle with them and take it up with the court.”

The incident is not one-off, and many have had similar complaints of harassment, said Waseem Memon of Drive Without Borders. “The department should send a circular to its officers. We have been raising the issue with the police, but they seem to be hesitant to tell their officers of the HC order,” he said, and added that a complaint on the Sunday’s incident had been mailed to the traffic police. A police official said they were investigating into the complaint.

“There is no official drive to fine anyone based on road tax on non-Karnataka registered vehicles. We are getting details from the complainant,” said the officer.