Supreme Court says LMV licence holders can drive transport vehicles

In a relief for commercial vehicle drivers, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a person holding a driving licence for a light motor vehicle (LMV) is also entitled to drive a transport vehicle with an unladen weight not exceeding 7,500 kg.

The judgement of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is a jolt to insurance companies which had been rejecting claims if accidents involved transport vehicles of a particular weight and if the drivers were not authorised to drive them as per legal stipulation.

"There is no empirical data that LMV driving licence holders are responsible for the rise in road accidents in the country," Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who wrote the unanimous verdict for the bench, said.