[speedmiester]

I am waiting it out, will not be taking my cars out over the weekend. I really do hope we could get a stay on this decision.
It's a shame that SC has to resort to such arm twisting tactics, rather than look into the actual root of the problem.

[v&v]

I had a meeting at DLF mall Vasant Kunj yesterday at 4 pm. There were 5 traffic cops towards the approach of mall, they were stopping cars with tint.

IMO the traffic police will intensify this drive after this weekend.

[itwasntme]

Bangalore Traffic Police have sent out a SMS to all registered BTIS/BTP users that vehicle owners should immediately remove sunfilm on their own else face action. No timelines given.

[naveen.raju]

From today's National Daily, Local Edition

"The police have said that they will initiate action to implement the Supreme Court order enforcing the ban on use of black films on windscreens and side glasses of four-wheelers.

A release from the Kerala Police headquarters said the Supreme Court had directed the removal of sun-control films on the windscreens and side glasses of four-wheelers.

Remove immediately

Motorists should remove the films from the windscreens and side glasses immediately, the police said.

The Supreme Court's order came on a Public Interest Litigation filed by Avishek Goenka, who had complained that cars with black films on windowpanes were being increasingly used for crimes, including sexual assault of women.

Action from today

The apex court has asked the police to take action against those not adhering to the directive from Saturday."

[rajni]

From the very beginning of this shaking news I understand that sunfilms of any VLT is banned except the company-fitted ones which are not actually films but tinted glass itself. However, the recent post in FB by Bangalore Traffic Police made me rethinking about that. It says Black film of any transparency is not allowed. Does that mean Green, Grey or any other tinted films are allowed. Just wondering as there are different tints available in the market. Mine definitely doesn't look black. Any thought? Also, is there anyone from Law backgrounds or having connections with Law in this thread? Any ideas if any of the sunfilm manufacturers/dealers like V-kool, 3m or Garware has challenged this SC decision at court. While we continue with this debate, I'd personally request the team to go and signup at Petition: the supreme court of india: Reconsider decision on a blanket ban on car films. | Change.org. I sincerely hope it will help.


Edited the post to add this:

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

I wonder whether the luxometer is really so scarce. Esp. in Delhi, I think even if just one such device is procured and used regularly even for 12 hours a day at different busy intersections every day, police can easily check hundreds of vehicle every day. If this is done diligently, consistently and persistently every day without fail, the sheer publicity generated through it alone would force the dark tints to completely vanish not only from the cars but also from the markets. Can't Delhi police (or any other police for that matter) procure just a few such devices? What really is so exclusive about these devices?

A search in Ebay shows a lots of products matching Lux meter and the price starts at as low as $8. If it is the same equipment that is used for measuring VLT I wonder what is the difficulty for the cops to do a bulk purchase and implement restriction based on VLT rather than a mass ban. I would not be surprised to hear that the ban has been removed or relaxed after a couple of months after most of us peeling off our costly sunfilms. It happens in India!

[vsathyap]

I got a SMS from Bangalore traffic police from their traffic updates notification system as follows :
#################
BTP:
Bottlenecks
"TINTED GLASS PROHIBITED"
front and rear glass 70% and side glass 50% visibility should be there. Only company fitted glass can be used.... kindly remove all black films on your vehicle glass . AVOID penalty .
Follow us on facebook.
Traffic is normal at all the places in Bangalore city now . Have a nice Ride/Drive .
################

They have added to the confusion with the percentage of visibility. Wonder whom to believe

[Vid6639]

Today's Bangalore Mirror mentions that the drive to remove tints will start from today in Bangalore.

The cops delayed it by a day so that they could remove sunfilm from their own cars first before enforcing the rule.

Let's see what happens. My Altis has 35% VLT whereas Figo is running 20% VLT. Will probably need to remove both of them based on what I'm hearing over the weekend.

[nikhileshgrover]

Got this from Bangalore traffic police.

" BTP:
Bottlenecks
"TINTED GLASS PROHIBITED"
front and rear glass 70% and side glass 50% visibility should be there. Only company fitted glass can be used.... kindly remove all black films on your vehicle glass . AVOID penalty .
Follow us on facebook.
Traffic is normal at all the places in Bangalore city now . Have a nice Ride/Drive . "

So its 50% on sides and 70% on front.

[mukeshgoel]

Times of India (New Delhi) 05/May/2012

Tint film ban: 4,915 fined on first day
Fifty Police Teams Deployed
Indrani Basu TNN

New Delhi:Astheban on tinted film on car windows came into effect on Friday, 4,915 vehicle owners had to pay fines for not following the Supreme Court ruling. Traffic police has launched a campaign to prosecute vehicleownerswho have tinted film on their car windows despite the total ban announced earlier this week. Around 50 traffic police teams were posted across Delhi to catch violators.

“The prosecutions started from 10am andwenton tillFriday evening. Several car owners pleaded ignorance, claiming that they were unclear on the rules. We had run an awareness campaign through our Facebook page as well as put advertisements in newspapers,” said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

The maximum violations were noted in south Delhi, where 1,371 offenders were brought to book. A close second was central Delhi, with 1,162 violations. North and west Delhi were also not far behind, with 942 and 930 prosecutions, respectively. East Delhi saw 510 car owners being challaned.

“We had stringent prosecution and no violator was allowed to escape without a challan. In Parliament Street circle alone, 258 vehicles were prosecuted, which is the highest in Delhi. About 221 vehicles were prosecuted in the Delhi Cantonment area and 216in Najafgarh.In onecase, a car was impounded at Patel Nagar after the owner refused to comply with traffic police’s directions to remove the tinted film,” said Garg.

On Friday, a TOI team spoke to several car owners who had been prosecuted for using tinted film. Most claimed that they’d been caught unawares. “I got the tintedfilm from an authorized dealer who assured me this film was within permissible limits. We had no idea that no tinted film is allowed,” said Devender Singh, a businessman.

A sub-inspector of the Delhi Police special branch was also prosecuted. Narender Dutt Sharma, who was found driving his WagonR with jet blacktinton thewindowssaid he was unable to get the tinted film removed in time.

Others came up with a variety of other excuses for not following the order. “I got the tinted film removed on Thursday itself because I knew about the rule. But the car accessory shop owner forgot to remove the film from the rear window of the car. My father will give me a rap as I am always getting traffic challans,” ruedJunedJaved, a car owner.

Article Window

[vinod332002]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Times of India (New Delhi) 05/May/2012


Article Window

Looks like there is a lot of action in Delhi. Any news from Mumbai/ Pune anyone?

[blackfire_9]

I fail to understand as to how different places could have different versions of the same SC verdict. Out here in Delhi, the Hindustan Times news daily reported that the SC had banned the use of any sort of tinted films of any transparency.

And I just don't understand the logic behind this ruling. Just because the damn police force does not have the required device, the car owners throughout the nation are going to bear the brunt.

I also agree with some other viewpoints about how unfair it is to only target sun-films as a product that aid criminals. What about curtains or those shades available at traffic signals. I am sure you can't see very well behind those shades also.

But that's the irony of this nation, all we can do is sit & watch the drama because the highest order in our country has issued a ridiculous ruling.

Originally Posted by nikhileshgrover

So its 50% on sides and 70% on front.

[CRtorquefan]

My car is having Tints with 70% VLT.
Should I need to remove the same also ??

[Visaster]

This is a very bad rule to implement.
The problem in India is they don't act at the root of any cause. All they do is they kill the average end customers.

All the shops which sell road illegal sunfilms have to be shut down, goods seized, the production company like 3M, garware, vcool and so on has to be legally sealed for producing illegal sun films, than as usual harass the average end customer.

After they do the ground work should they come to implement it.
"Its like catching drug abusers than catching the drug distributor."

As usual the drive will die down and people will go back doing the same illegal thing.
Why can't there be a well checked system so that everyone can stick to a rule in our country.

Considering the scotching heat in Chennai I wonder how I will manage without any tint.
The weird thing i noticed on my well maintained Santro is that the dark black tint which I installed in Bangalore in 2003 has now come down to 50% visibility.
Anyways a cop does not have enough IQ to understand the actual intent of the rule, they will see black and that's the end of Sunfilm.
Already cops in Chennai are walking around with a challan book even to the loo, to fill the funds deficit in the new govt. treasury, this order to them will be like finding gold.

Is it implemented in TN yet ? I have not seen any activity yet.

[Vid6639]

So what about the Volvo buses plying with the huge advertisement stickers on the side over the windows. You can't see inside one of them at all.

Isn't that reducing visibility as well?

[vinod332002]

I was reading up on this.

As per the provisions of sub-rule (2) of Rule 100 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 the glass of the windscreen and rear window of every motor vehicle has to be such and be maintained in such a condition that the visual transmission of light is not less than 70%. The glasses used for side windows have to be such and be maintained in such condition that the visual transmission of light is not less than 50%.

The Judgment (dated 28-4-2012) of Supreme Court of India banns sun films beyond visual transmission:

A bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar went by the limits prescribed in the MV Act and said anything beyond the visual light transmission (VLT) limit of 70% for the front and rear windshields and 50% for the side windows would be punishable.

The decision came on a PIL filed by Avishek Goenka, who had complained that cars with black film on window panes were being increasingly used for crimes, including sexual assault of women. He said though there was no express restraint on use of black film under the MV Act, it prescribed VLT limits.

Writing the judgment for the bench, Justice Kumar said, "On the plain reading of the rule, it is clear that cars must have safety glass having VLT at the time of manufacturing... In other words, the rule not impliedly but specifically prohibits alteration of such VLT by any means."

Source: http://sherryscolumn.blogspot.in/201...court.html?m=1

So the supreme court has gone by the rule book (which they should) and said as per the law, there is no provision to alter VLT, hence it is illegal. In this case, I don't see the point of a petition asking the court t reverse it's decision. The only way to get this reversed is an amendment to the CRMV act to allow film; such amendment is not something the court can pass.

Btw, are there sun films with 100% VLT that offer heat rejection and UV protection? The Judgement seems to allow this.