India is the worst country on the face of the planet to be a car enthusiast. Why is it the worst? The people are bound by tyrannical anti-gearhead laws all across the land. There is no automotive freedom here, you can't modify your vehicle at all! Not even a simple muffler modification, sticker, nothing but OEM. Yet despite this Draconian ruling against people of petrol, there are groups of hardcore enthusiasts who don't care about these new laws and are willing to modify their vehicle despite the threat of harassment, fines, and imprisonment.
"When the sun film rule came out, my friend got caught and he was unaware of the 'Sunfilm Rule'. The cop asked him to pay a fine for using sunglasses, which he was wearing at that time, and they had a huge argument over that." - Anonymous Indian Automotive Enthusiast
According to TheHindu.com, if a vehicle has illegal modifications such as window tint, it must be removed or the owner will be fined 300 Rupees, which is about five U.S. dollars. If you are caught with window tint again after the initial fine, you will be held in contempt of Civil Court Under Section 2(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act of 1971.
Why so quick to imprison you for window tint in India? Deputy Commissioner of Police, East-Traffic division, Muthanna B.A. says, "Several criminal activities have been reported in the recent past in many cities across the country in such vehicles. Hence, the Supreme Court has ordered the removal of sun films to avert such activities in vehicles."
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I'm failing to see where sunglasses fall into the grasp of this new law. How is wearing sunglasses while driving dangerous? During times of bright sun, sunglasses help people see the road and identify objects with visual clarity. Driving in India is very difficult to begin with and is strongly reliant on visual clarity; this new law only makes it more difficult to drive in an already gridlocked environment. An unfortunate situation, driving in India just became worse.
Sources: TheHindu.com , Indiankanoon.org
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