Delhi High Court Refuses Pre-Arrest Bail in Alleged Fake Vehicle Registration Network

The Delhi High Court has denied anticipatory bail to a transport authority clerk accused of involvement in an alleged interstate racket concerning stolen vehicles, forged registration records, and misuse of the VAHAN portal. Justice Girish Kathpalia dismissed the plea filed by Gaurav Bhardwaj, observing that the allegations disclosed a large-scale organised operation requiring detailed custodial interrogation.

According to the prosecution, the accused was posted as a clerk at the Road Transport Authority in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, and allegedly assisted a syndicate that altered chassis numbers of stolen vehicles before securing fresh registrations using fabricated documents. Investigators claimed he had access to official email credentials linked to the SDM office, enabling retrieval of OTPs used for vehicle registration approvals through the VAHAN system.

The defence argued that the prosecution’s theory was technically unreliable and that vehicle transfers from Telangana to Himachal Pradesh required manual processing, not purely online approval. It was also contended that Customer Application Forms alone could not establish misuse of the portal. However, the prosecution informed the Court that Telangana authorities had confirmed several questioned registration numbers did not exist in official records. Investigators also alleged that the accused processed suspicious files beyond office hours and continued obtaining OTP access even after his transfer.

Considering the ongoing investigation and the alleged interstate nature of the fraud, the Court held that pre-arrest protection was not justified at this stage.