Supreme Court : Holder Of LMV Driving License Doesn't Need Separate Authorisation To Drive Transport Vehicle Weighing Less Than 7500 KG

 131. Our conclusions following the above discussion are as under:

(I) A driver holding a license for Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) class, Under Section 10(2)(d) for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight under 7,500 kg, is permitted to operate a 'Transport Vehicle' without needing additional authorization Under Section 10(2)(e) of the MV Act specifically for the 'Transport Vehicle' class. For licensing purposes, LMVs and Transport Vehicles are not entirely separate classes. An overlap exists between the two. The special eligibility requirements will however continue to apply for, inter alia, e-carts, e- rickshaws, and vehicles carrying hazardous goods.

(II) The second part of Section 3(1), which emphasizes the necessity of a specific requirement to drive a 'Transport Vehicle,' does not supersede the definition of LMV provided in Section 2(21) of the MV Act.

(III) The additional eligibility criteria specified in the MV Act and MV Rules generally for driving 'transport vehicles' would apply only to those intending to operate vehicles with gross vehicle weight exceeding 7,500 kg i.e. 'medium goods vehicle', 'medium passenger vehicle', 'heavy goods vehicle' and 'heavy passenger vehicle'.

(IV) The decision in Mukund Dewangan (2017) is upheld but for reasons as explained by us in this judgment. In the absence of any obtrusive omission, the decision is not per incuriam, even if certain provisions of the MV Act and MV Rules were not considered in the said judgment.

132. The reference is answered in the above terms.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Civil Appeal No. 841 of 2018, 

Decided On: 06.11.2024

Bajaj Alliance General Insurance Co. Ltd. Vs. Rambha Devi and Ors.

Hon'ble Judges/Coram:

Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, C.J.I., Hrishikesh Roy, Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra, JJ.

Citation:  MANU/SC/1178/2024, 2024 INSC 840, 2024 INSC 840.