Delhi Blast Exposes Gaps in Vehicle Ownership System: Official

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After the Red Fort blast probe revealed the Hyundai i20 used in the attack had changed hands multiple times without registration updates, a senior official calls for urgent reform in India’s vehicle ownership transfer process.

By TRH News Desk

New Delhi, November 12, 2025 — In the wake of the Red Fort blast, Keshav Kaplush, an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer, has highlighted the systemic flaws in India’s vehicle ownership and registration process, calling it a weak link that can have serious national security implications.

Writing on LinkedIn, Kaplush said the recent blasts were not only tragic because of the loss of lives but also exposed “systemic issues that are plaguing the Indian governance system.”

The comment comes amid revelations that the Hyundai i20 car used in the Red Fort blast had reportedly changed ownership four times before the incident. However, these successive transfers were never updated in government records, as the new owners allegedly did not complete the registration process with the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

“It is said that the vehicle used for the blasts changed ownership four times before the event. But never was this change reflected in government records as the ownership was not accompanied by registration,” Kaplush wrote.

He questioned why the process remained so cumbersome that citizens avoided it altogether: “If you have to change ownership from RTO, it takes a good amount of money and time which makes it a demotivating factor. Why in India is ownership change of a car not as easy as buying a Fastag?”

Investigators have found that the white Hyundai i20—registered originally in Delhi—had been sold multiple times through informal channels, including second-hand dealers and private transactions, before being used in the blast. The car’s last purported owner had not updated the official registration, leaving the original registered owner still on record.

Experts say the case highlights a persistent gap between vehicle resale practices and registration enforcement. While Section 50 of the Motor Vehicles Act mandates registration transfer within 14 days of sale, enforcement remains weak and largely dependent on self-reporting.

Kaplush’s remarks echo a wider call within the bureaucracy and law enforcement community to digitise and simplify vehicle ownership transfers, arguing that such reforms are vital not only for administrative efficiency but also for national security and counterterrorism efforts.

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