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Section197
The Motor Vehicles Act

Taking vehicle without authority

In force Act 59 of 1988 As on 18 Oct 2026

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so the text below was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Act 59 of 1988 Cited by 1 provision

This is a second copy of a Central Act. India Code files it on Haryana's shelf as well as under Parliament, and the text is the same enactment. Read it at The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which is the record this site keeps current.

Read from the scanned gazette. India Code publishes no text for this Act, so this text was read from the Government's own scan by machine and split into sections by its numbering. It has not been checked against the page word by word. Where it matters, read the scan. Read the scan.

Section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act deals with taking vehicle without authority. Whoever takes and drives away any motor vehicle without having either the consent of the owner thereof or other lawful authority shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

(1) Whoever takes and drives away any motor vehicle without having either the consent of the owner thereof or other lawful authority shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

Provided that no person shall be convicted under this section if the Court is satisfied that such person acted in the reasonable belief that he had lawful authority or in the reasonable belief that the owner would in the circumstances of the case have given his consent if he had been asked therefor.

(2) Whoever, unlawfully by force or threat of force or by any other form of intimidation, seizes or exercises control of a motor vehicle, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

(3) Whoever attempts to commit any of the acts referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) in relation to any motor vehicle, or abets the commission of any such act, shall also be deemed to have committed an offence under sub-section (1) or, as the case may be, sub-section (2). 1. Subs. by Act 54 of 1994, s. 57, for sub-section (1) (w.e.f. 14-11-1994).

Section 197, The Motor Vehicles Act (Act 59 of 1988).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

Referred to by 1

  1. s. 202 Power to arrest without warrant

Questions about Section 197

What does Section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act deal with?

Section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act is headed "Taking vehicle without authority". Whoever takes and drives away any motor vehicle without having either the consent of the owner thereof or other lawful authority shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.

How do I find court cases under Section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Motor Vehicles Act 197, section 197 Motor Vehicles Act, section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.

What should I read with Section 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and has it changed?

1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.

When was the Motor Vehicles Act enacted?

Motor Vehicles Act was enacted in 1988 as Act 59 of 1988. India Code records no commencement date for it. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Read from the Government's own scanned gazette with Azure Document Intelligence, then split into sections by their numbering. India Code publishes no text for this Act. The scan itself is mirrored into our own storage and served at /scan/f09db275-80d6-4bd5-924c-03ac08727bdc.pdf, so the reading here can be checked against the page it came from without depending on India Code's own copy staying where it is (it was at https://indiacode.gov.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/e36db003-a500-4cf2-aaa3-05b529659cd2/content). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.