MVA Section 53: Suspension of registration
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 · Chapter 4: REGISTRATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES
¶53. Suspension of registration.—(1) If any registering authority or other prescribed authority has reason to believe that any motor vehicle within its jurisdiction—
(a) is in such a condition that its use in a public place would constitute a danger to the public, or that it fails to comply with the requirements of this Act or of the rules made thereunder, or
(b) has been, or is being, used for hire or reward without a valid permit for being used as such, the authority may, after giving the owner an opportunity of making any representation he may wish to make (by sending to the owner a notice by registered post acknowledgement due at his address entered in the certificate of registration), for reasons to be recorded in writing, suspend the certificate of registration of the vehicle—
(i) in any case falling under clause (a), until the defects are rectified to its satisfaction; and
(ii) in any case falling under clause (b), for a period not exceeding four months.
(2) An authority other than a registering authority shall, when making a suspension order under sub-section (1), intimate in writing the fact of such suspension and the reasons therefor to the registering authority within whose jurisdiction the vehicle is at the time of the suspension.
(3) Where the registeration of a motor vehicle has been suspended under sub-section (1), for a continuous period of not less than one month, the registering authority, within whose jurisdiction the vehicle was when the registration was suspended, shall, if it is not the original registering authority, inform that authority of the suspension.
(4) The owner of a motor vehicle shall, on the demand of a registering authority or other prescribed authority which has suspended the certificate of registration of the vehicle under this section, surrender the certificate of registration.
(5) A certificate of registration surrendered under sub-section (4) shall be returned to the owner when the order suspending registration has been rescinded and not before.
Study: explanations and related material
Official reference: India Code, Government of India — edition as on 15 August 2026 — source review: 2 October 2026.Recorded edition / snapshot date: 2026-08-15.Banaka reference transcription, not an official or certified edition. General central text: regional amendment blocks are not consolidated. This edition includes Jan Vishwas 2026 changes effective 15 August 2026. Amendment brackets are retained; footnotes and superscript reference numerals are excluded. Consult the complete government PDF for schedules, amendment notes and authoritative wording. State rules and notifications may differ. Hindi guides are original explanations, not a statutory translation.Read the original schedule and amendment notes
This text is for reference, not legal advice. Consult the official source for the authoritative text.
Other sections in this chapter
- 39. Necessity for registration
- 40. Registration, where to be made
- 41. Registration, how to be made
- 42. Special provision for registration of motor vehicles of diplomatic officers, etc
- 43. Temporary registration
- 44. Production of vehicle at the time of registration
- 45. Refusal of registration or renewal of the certificate of registration
- 46. Effectiveness in India of registration
- 47. Assignment of new registration mark on removal to another State
- 48. No objection certificate
- 49. Change of residence or place of business
- 50. Transfer of ownership
- 51. Special provisions regarding motor vehicle subject to hire-purchase agreement, etc
- 52. Alteration in motor vehicle
- 54. Cancellation of registration suspended under section 53
- 55. Cancellation of registration
- 56. Certificate of fitness of transport vehicles
- 57. Appeals
- 58. Special provisions in regard to transport vehicles
- 59. Power to fix the age limit of motor vehicle
- 60. Registration of vehicles belonging to the Central Government
- 61. Application of Chapter to trailers
- 62. Information regarding stolen and recovered motor vehicles to be furnished by the police to the State Transport Authority
- 62A. Prohibition of registration and issuance of certificate of fitness to oversized vehicles
- 62B. National Register of Motor Vehicles
- 63. Maintenance of State Registers of Motor Vehicles
- 64. Power of Central Government to make rules
- 65. Power of State Government to make rules