In an unusual display of affection, a woman spent several hours covering her partner’s car with 3,400 lipstick marks, which resulted in him being fined ₹5,500 and ordered to clean off the marks in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
Car owner Aditya Sikarwar told local media that his girlfriend carried out the act as part of a “foreign trend” and a social media stunt. However, both of them were unaware that it was against the law. Traffic police located the vehicle after it had been on the road for two days and fined the owner under the Motor Vehicles Act. The episode has drawn attention to motor vehicle regulations, particularly in the national capital, and to the kinds of modifications and practices that can get vehicle owners into legal trouble.
According to news agency PTI, a senior official of the Delhi Traffic Police stated that once a vehicle is bought from a manufacturer, its owner is not permitted to modify it at will.
When a person purchases a vehicle from a showroom, it is in accordance with the established traffic and motor vehicle regulations. For any subsequent modifications, the owner must obtain permission, which will be reviewed by the competent authority. The decision to approve or deny this permission is made after verification and based on the reasons provided by the owner for seeking the modification," the officer stated. Under Section 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act, any alteration to a vehicle is regulated, especially if it causes the vehicle to deviate from the specifications listed in the registration certificate or those issued by the manufacturer. In situations where an alteration is allowed, prior approval from the registering authority may be required.
The officer further stated that owners may face penalties for alterations that substantially change a vehicle’s appearance or depart from its original specifications.
Any alteration that alters or conceals the vehicle’s original identity or make, changes its overall colour without the necessary approval, or includes banned accessories such as tinted glass can put the owner at risk under the Motor Vehicles Act. Depending on the type of violation, enforcement officials are also empowered by law to take action against the vehicle or seize it, he said.
Tinted glass prohibited
One of the most frequent breaches of the Motor Vehicles Act involves the tinting of vehicle windows. The Delhi Traffic Police state that black films or any additional tinting are not allowed.
According to news agency PTI, the regulations stipulate that factory-installed glass must permit a minimum of 70 per cent visible light to pass through the windscreen and rear window, and at least 50 per cent through the side windows.
‘Loud aftermarket silencers another concern’
The officer also highlighted loud aftermarket exhausts as a frequent violation, especially among motorcycle riders. Under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, vehicles are required to have silencers and comply with specified noise limits. Owners cannot claim that a modified exhaust is an acceptable alteration merely because the motorcycle is otherwise fit for the road.
‘Additional lights, improper use of high beams’
Likewise, motorists may be subject to enforcement measures if they fit overly powerful headlights, install unauthorised auxiliary lights, or misuse their high beams. In heavily populated city areas, the use of high-beam lights can dazzle other road users and is therefore regulated by traffic laws.
The officer further highlighted that pressure horns and multi-tone horns are banned alterations. According to PTI, vehicle owners are barred from fitting horns that emit extremely loud, harsh, shrill, or disturbing sounds.
‘Use of Press’
Displaying 'Press' stickers or other official-looking labels on private vehicles can attract scrutiny, especially when they misleadingly suggest an official status or violate established rules on vehicle markings.
Likewise, owners are not allowed to alter a vehicle’s registered colour or make major structural modifications at their discretion. Such changes may need prior approval from the competent authorities and must be reflected in updated registration records. The officer noted that motorists should not assume a modification is lawful just because it does not affect the vehicle’s mechanical functioning. “Every vehicle owner is required to comply with the established traffic and motor vehicle regulations. Before carrying out any alteration, they should verify whether official permission is needed, instead of making the modification first and then approaching the authorities,” he said, according to PTI.
‘Delhi Traffic Police enforcement drive’
Recently, the Delhi Traffic Police carried out a week-long enforcement campaign across the city, focusing on violations that significantly endanger the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and other road users.
During the drive, 7,675 challans were issued for wrong-side driving, while 22,992 motorists were fined for riding without helmets and 1,568 for triple riding.The enforcement campaign also focused on e-rickshaws operating at congestion-prone locations. Traffic police issued 7,298 challans to e-rickshaw drivers for various violations and impounded 63 vehicles for offences warranting such action.The traffic police said it would also launch a citywide operation to identify and take action against vehicles that fail to comply with prescribed norms.