SC permits LMV driving licence holders to drive transport vehicles weighing up to 7,500 kg

MAY PREVENT INSURANCE COMPANIES FROM REJECTING CLAIMS

In a landmark ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court clarified licensing rules for Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) drivers, asserting that holders of an LMV licence can legally operate transport vehicles weighing up to 7,500 kg. This judgment from a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, is expected to have wide-reaching implications for commercial drivers and the insurance sector, potentially preventing insurers from denying claims based on the type of licence a driver holds at the time of an accident.

The unanimous 126-page verdict, authored by Justice Hrishikesh Roy, reaffirmed the court's 2017 decision in the Mukund Dewangan case, which had ruled that an LMV licence holder could operate transport vehicles within the specified weight limit. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Hrishikesh Roy, aimed to clarify longstanding ambiguities in licensing regulations under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.