Driving a vehicle without a number plate does not constitute an offence of cheating under Section 420

In a recent ruling, the Telangana High Court held that driving a vehicle without a number plate does not constitute an offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 420 relates to "cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property," and the court found that merely driving without a number plate does not fulfill the necessary elements of this crime, which include deceit and dishonest inducement.

The case originated when a two-wheeler rider was stopped by police during a routine check and found driving without a number plate. The vehicle was seized, and a case was registered under Section 420 IPC and Section 80(a) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The rider challenged the case in the High Court, arguing that the allegations did not involve any deceit or property-related loss.

Justice K. Sujana of the Telangana High Court quashed the charges, clarifying that Section 80(a) of the Motor Vehicles Act pertains to the procedure for obtaining vehicle permits and does not specifically deal with driving without a number plate. Instead, the correct action would have been for the police to impose a fine or apply the relevant provisions for violating vehicle registration rules, rather than invoking cheating charges under the IPC