Jalandhar, October 27: A disagreement over the transfer of ownership documents for a second-hand Honda Activa led to a heated exchange at Fine Storage, a shop located in Jalandhar's Ali Mohalla area. A customer alleged that despite purchasing the scooter nearly five months ago and paying the required documentation charges, the registration certificate had still not been transferred to his name. The shop's representatives, however, maintained that the delay was related to pending formalities involving the vehicle's previous bank loan and revised transfer charges.
The customer, identified as Sher Singh, claimed that he purchased the second-hand Activa from the shop for ₹62,000 in cash approximately five months ago. According to him, he was assured that the vehicle's documents were complete and that the registration certificate would be transferred to his name. However, he alleged that repeated visits and phone calls failed to resolve the matter, leaving him concerned about the legal ownership of the scooter.
Sher Singh said he had initially been asked to pay ₹2,000 towards the documentation and ownership transfer process. He claimed that the amount had already been handed over to the shop, but the transfer remained incomplete. When he visited the establishment again, he was allegedly informed that the total charges would now amount to ₹4,000. The customer questioned why an additional payment was being sought when he had already paid towards the transfer several months earlier.
The buyer further alleged that the scooter's registration certificate still reflected an earlier bank loan, despite his having purchased the vehicle through a cash transaction. He said he possessed photocopies of the relevant documents, while the original papers remained with the shop. Frustrated over the continued delay, he approached the establishment to seek an explanation and demanded that the pending documentation be completed without further inconvenience.
Responding to the allegations, a shop employee identified as Balbir acknowledged that the customer had purchased the Activa but disputed the suggestion that additional money was being demanded without justification. He explained that the vehicle's previous loan had been cleared and that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was available. According to Balbir, the remaining process involved removing the bank's hypothecation details and completing the registration transfer, which required payment of the applicable charges.
Balbir maintained that the amount being requested was connected to the documentation procedure rather than an arbitrary additional fee. He said the ownership transfer had not yet been completed because certain formalities were still pending and indicated that the process could require approximately another month. The shop's position was that the loan itself had been settled, but the administrative work connected with the registration certificate remained unfinished.
Another local trader, Yash Sahota, who was familiar with the disagreement, also offered an explanation regarding the delay. He stated that the NOC had already been cleared and that the dispute primarily concerned charges associated with removing the bank's loan entry from the vehicle records. Sahota claimed that work on the relevant government portal had been disrupted for some time and that changes in charges after services resumed had contributed to the misunderstanding between the buyer and the shop.
According to Sahota, discussions were subsequently held between the parties, and the immediate disagreement over the charges was resolved through mutual understanding. However, this reported understanding does not establish that the Activa's ownership transfer has been completed. The final status of the registration certificate and the pending documentation remains to be confirmed.
The incident highlights the importance of completing ownership transfer formalities when purchasing a used vehicle, particularly one previously purchased through bank financing. Buyers can face difficulties if the registration certificate continues to reflect a former owner's details or an outstanding hypothecation entry, even after the financial obligations associated with the vehicle have been settled.
While the customer has demanded action over the delay and disputed charges, no confirmed information regarding a formal police complaint or legal proceedings was available. The disagreement appears to have eased following discussions involving local traders, but the transfer will remain incomplete until the relevant transport authority updates the vehicle's official registration records.
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