Indian Tint Law Kills Tint Shops

The Supreme Court of India has declared all aftermarket Indian car tint to be illegal even if it complies with the 70% front and rear windshield as well as 50% side window VLT requirements.

The Supreme Court judgment said, “The directions contained in this judgment shall become operative and enforceable with effect from 4th May, 2012.” The court has ruled that traffic police “shall also remove the black films from the offending vehicles.” “In accordance to the apex court’s order, we will be prosecuting any vehicle found with tinted film on the window. Irrespective of the percentage of the tinted film, challans will be issued and the tinted film removed immediately. If the vehicle owner resists the removal of tinted film, the car will be immediately impounded,” said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

This move was a response to public safety concerns.  The article cites a handful of recent high-profile criminal activity that was conducted using tinted vehicles.  At first, reports of this new Indian tint law stated that there was just a standardized national darkness limit that applies to all vehicles.  From the newer reports, this new law extends further into outlawing ALL AFTERMARKET car tint!

In what seems to be a draconian response, by US Law and personal liberty standards, the new Indian tint law effectively bars all civilians from protecting themselves from the harsh sun where some Indian areas have temperature profiles similar to Texas.

Already installed car tint are to be removed immediately.  The only allowed tint are that installed by car manufacturers.  The winners are clearly the large companies who can now charge add-on customization rates to their vehicles.  The losers are the average tint shop without connections to local car dealerships.

Although it is understandable the meaning behind the law, making tint more out of reach to the general population can reduce crime, but at the cost of increased sun exposure, cancer rates, and lessened personal freedom.