Gauhati High Court reverses order, car sales resume in Assam

Following a petition filed by apex industry body, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) challenging the state of Assam and the state’s Transport Department’s decision to ban the sale and registration of four-wheelers (both goods and passenger carriers) weighing upto 1500kg, the Gauhati High Court has in an order, dated August 26, allowed resumption of sale of cars. Autocar Professional has reviewed a copy of the order.

The latest Gauhati High Court order says, “There cannot be any prohibition restriction registration and sake of 4-wheelers with a mass upto 1500kgs and quadricycles that have undergone the crash test and emission test conforming to the requirement and standards set down by the Bureau of Indian Standards and in respect of such vehicles which have been certified by a statutory authority of having met the said requirements.”

The decision will come as a major relief to mass-market carmakers like Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India. Assam sees a good number of monthly sales in Assam, and particularly its capital Guwahati which over the past year accounted for nearly 14,000 to 18,000 vehicles sold every month during the last year. In past 2-3 weeks following the ban, sales of small passenger cars have dropped by up to 60 percent, mostly in Guwahati. 

Photograph: Abhinav Borah 

Also read: Car sales in Assam fall by up to 60 percent after Gauhati HC order