The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (December 17, 2025) questioned the city government about its failure to control the sale and transfer of used vehicles. The issue gained urgency as a second-hand car was involved in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort. A Bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to provide a detailed response on regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles. The court asked, “A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?” The bomb blast near the famous Mughal-era monument used a second-hand car, making the regulation issue critical. The court set the next hearing for January 2026. The case is based on a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Towards Happy Earth Foundation. The NGO highlighted problems with rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules introduced in December 2022. These rules aimed to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles but have failed because of regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles. The petition, filed by advocate Vijay Kasana, stated, “In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer. As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability.” It also pointed out that only a small number of India’s estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer system. The petition further noted that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near Red Fort was sold multiple times but still stayed in the original owner's name. The Delhi High Court’s strong remarks sound an alarm for better governance on used vehicle sales to prevent misuse.