Gram Panchayats -- elected village bodies -- have no power to levy a tax on motor vehicles, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has said.
In an order passed on September 3, the court dismissed a petition on the issue, filed by Hargarh Gram Panchayat in Jabalpur district. The ruling became available on Tuesday.
All vehicles driven by motors fall within the definition of 'motor vehicles', and a Gram Panchayat does not have any power to impose tax on motor vehicles, said Justice Vishal Dhagat.
The Gram Panchayat of Hargarh, an industrial area, had challenged before the high court a letter sent by the state revenue department taking objection to the Panchayat collecting commercial tax from vehicles within its jurisdiction.
During the hearing, the state government opposed the petition's maintainability. No resolution in accordance with law had been passed authorizing the sarpanch to file the petition as the said resolution did not have names and signatures of Panchayat members, the government lawyer said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Maharashtra Exit Polls: 3 Of 9 Pollsters Predict Hung House
Man Salutes National Flag 21 Times, Chants 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' On Court Order Man Who Raised 'Pak Zindabad' Slogan To Chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' For Bail Madhya Pradesh Court Rejects Man's Plea Over Offensive Remark On Lord Ram, Hinduism Russia's Firing Of ICBM On Ukraine Is Weapon's 1st Combat Use In History This Asian City Is Emerging As Sex Tourism Hub. It's Not Where You Think 2 More Exit Polls Predict Landslide For NDA In Maharashtra Waving Black Flags At Chief Minister's Convoy Not Illegal: Court Gaza Has Become 'Graveyard' For Children, Says UN Palestinian Agency Chief Russian Missile Used On Ukraine Not An ICBM, Says US Official: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.