Mumbai: Two years after selling car, man gets notice over fine

Bengalurubased entrepreneur Ramakrishnan Laxman never imagined that selling his beloved red Honda City would come back to haunt him two years after bidding it a teary farewell But today he finds himself summoned to the Mumbai Lok Adalat over a traffic challan for a car he hasnt driven in years and which he believed was no longer his responsibilityThis is not just a bureaucratic hiccup Its a cautionary tale that reveals the emotional legal and financial chaos that can ensue when the system fails to protect citizens mdash even those who follow every procedure in the bookCar that was familyldquoI bought that car before my daughter was bornrdquo Laxman recalled the warmth in his voice still evident despite the circumstances ldquoShe grew up calling it her red car It wasnrsquot just a machine to us It was part of the familyrdquoBack in 2019 Laxman had purchased a sleek red Honda City in Mumbai mdash one of the last lowfloor models before they were discontinued Over the years it became more than just a vehicle it was a memory on wheelsWhen the government tightened regulations around ageing vehicles and with his move from Mumbai to Bengaluru Laxman decided to let go of the car in January 2023 ldquoIt was heartbreakingrdquo he said ldquoBut I knew it was timerdquoHe sold the car to a wellknown used car division of Shaman Motors which offered a signed agreement promising that all liabilities mdash from accidents to fines mdash would now fall under their name At the time it seemed like the end of the storyA phone callFast forward to September 2024 A stranger from Ahmedabad called Laxman claiming he had the car mdash but no documents ldquoI was shocked He said he found my number on some old service papers left in the bootrdquo Laxman recounted ldquoHe had paid for the car but the dealer refused to hand over the registration certificate RC Worse the car was still registered in my namerdquoAlarmed Laxman checked the Parivahan website and found mdash to his horror mdash the vehicle was indeed still listed under him The car now over 15 years old hadnrsquot undergone mandatory RTO Passing and without that no transfer of ownership was possibleDespite repeated followups with Shaman Motors and its representative a man named Madhukar there was no resolution The dealership claimed the car was handed over to another agent mdash who had since gone incommunicado Efforts to escalate the matter to the CEO of the company Kiran Sheth yielded polite assurances mdash but no actionSystem strikes backThen came the dreaded text On July 8 2025 Laxman received a message from the Maharashtra Traffic Police mdash a challan of R2000 in his name for speeding ldquoThat was the final straw I hadnrsquot even seen the car in two yearsrdquo he saysStill he followed the law He mailed Form 29 and the sale documents to the RTO He lodged a police complaint online hoping to formally disassociate himself from the vehicle But the bureaucracy can be deaf when it choosesOn August 8 2025 a notice from the Mumbai Lok Adalat arrived asking him to appear in person and settle the fine mdash or face further consequencesldquoIrsquove done everything I could mdash filed complaints reached out to the company mailed documents What more is expected from a lawabiding citizenrdquo asked LaxmanNot an isolated caseThis isnrsquot the first such case either As earlier reported by midday on March 15 Shanti Chheda a 57yearold businessman received a notice from the District Legal Services Authority Thane asking him to appear at the Lok Adalat for two traffic violations The notice dated February 27 2025 scheduled the hearing for March 22ldquoHow can a nonworking car in police custody for years be charged with violationsrdquo Chheda askedSuch incidents raise disturbing questions about the reliability of recordkeeping and how loopholes in the system can leave innocent individuals facing legal jeopardy for crimes or infractions they didnrsquot commitWhat can be doneLaxman hopes his ordeal serves as a warning ldquoIf yoursquore selling your car donrsquot just rely on a dealership mdash no matter how big Ensure the transfer is completed at the RTO and follow up until itrsquos confirmed Otherwise your past can literally drive back into your liferdquoHe also calls for systemic reform ldquoThere needs to be a clear enforceable timeline for ownership transfers Dealerships must be held accountable And the state should ensure digital systems donrsquot just exist mdash but actually workrdquoFinal thoughtsOn the eve of his Lok Adalat hearing Laxman remains calm but disappointed ldquoAll I want is closure I donrsquot want to go to court for a car I sold years ago Itrsquos absurdrdquoFor a man who once loved his Honda City like family the goodbye has turned bitter ldquoI cried when I saw it leaverdquo he says ldquoNow I just want it gone mdash properly officially and legallyrdquoOther sideKiran Sheth CEO Shaman Group said ldquoWe have extended all cooperation to Laxman and have even got the RTO documentation work done at our endrdquoAsked the reason for Laxman then receiving the challan and RTO records still having his name featured as the owner of the said vehicle Sheth said ldquoI do not handle daytoday affairs of the company secondhand car dealing is handled by one of our divisions I will ask my manager Madhukar Khandeshi to call you backrdquoKhandeshi operations manager at Shaman Grouprsquos preowned car division said ldquoThe vehicle a 2009 model was over 15 years old Though sold to us in 2023 it took time to find a buyer By then the vehiclersquos passing had expired so we renewed it at the Tardeo RTO after the Ahmedabadbased buyer paid the road and other taxesAs per procedure the seller surrendered the RC and the RTO issued a new one to his Mumbai address However the seller claims it was misplaced by his tenant A duplicate RC is now needed and the seller presently in Bengaluru must be physically present at the RTO to complete the transfer Until then the vehicle remains in the previous ownerrsquos seller name which can lead to such issues We take full responsibility and are working with the buyer to resolve the Lok Adalat and challan matters Shaman Group has been in the used car business for over three decades and we stand by our commitment to accountability and transparencyrdquoFurther to their statement that the newly issued RC has been lost by the tenant that is their claim I no longer reside at that address in Mumbai said LaxmanlsquoBuyer seller are responsiblersquoVivek Bhimanwar commissioner RTO Maharashtra said ldquoIt is the joint responsibility of both the buyer and seller to ensure that all mandatory documents are in order and that the ownership transfer is properly reflected on the Vahan portal In most cases the seller is focused solely on completing the sale and is of the view that his responsibility is over However even something seemingly minor like an unpaid traffic challan can lead to complications later Imagine the consequences if the vehicle had been involved in a serious criminal offence used in illegal activities The process for vehicle transfer is very transparent and simple which can be done online with Aadhaar authenticationrdquoExpert speaksNitin Dosa executive chairman Western India Automobiles said ldquoThis is the new trend going on for last several year whether seller sells or exchange his car with a dealer or reseller who does not transfer the vehicle in his name and waits for the buyer for may be many months as he does not want their name to appear in the RC book because of various difficulties in GST and other taxes but if he does any offence or violation it will be the original owner responsible Forget about the offences and violations but if he knocks down a person the thirdparty liability will also go on to the seller It is therefore advised that if the seller wants his car to be sold or exchanged he should get it transferred in the buyerrsquos name and also inform the RTO and the traffic police that he has sold his vehicle