In Brief
A car owner sold his vehicle to another person on 11 September 2009 but did not formally transfer the ownership to the RTO within the statutory 30-day period. Within a month, an accident injured a third party who claimed compensation. The issue was whether the original registered owner remained liable despite having sold the vehicle. The Supreme Court held that under the Motor Vehicles Act, a person whose name appears in RTO records remains the legal 'owner' for purposes of compensation liability, regardless of actual sale or possession. This protects accident victims from uncertainty. The registered owner cannot escape liability by merely selling the vehicle without formally transferring ownership records. The appeal was dismissed.
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