The Literature Times: What inspired you to write Comprehensive Guide to CMVR 1989, and what gap did you feel existed in the available resources on automotive regulations?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
The idea started 2 years back and the reason was that during interaction with young engineers which have been recently passed out from colleges and with higher management also, we understood that this is the topic which does not exist in any curriculum and there no such bool available in the market which gives a general understanding about CMVR. Therefore, students do not have any understanding of this topic, but Homologation engineers have a very high potential as job opportunities in the industry.
Now, CMVR or Homologation is a very important section of any automotive industry. Initiation of the design activity till the sales and registration of vehicles, it plays a very important role. But people from other departments in the industry itself like production and quality etc. do not have a clear understanding of this topic.
Hence the objective was to give a basic understanding of this subject.
The Literature Times: The Central Motor Vehicles Rules are often seen as highly technical and difficult to understand. How did you ensure this book remains accessible to students, professionals, and legal practitioners alike?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
To ensure that The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 remain accessible and practical for diverse audiences, the book was structured with specific editorial design choices:
This book was not aimed at imitating the CMVR 1989 Bare Act or Motor Vehicle Act, the purpose was to make a young professional know about the basics of CMVR i.e. the purpose and history of CMVR, Nomenclature of vehicles, Categories of vehicles, Licensing details, How the automotive standards are formulated, Committees where these standards are formulated and description about test agencies. Hence the aim was to not tell them about rules but the basic structure of CMVR as a subject.Secondly, we have tried to add frequently answered questions at the end of each chapter for ease of understanding.
The Literature Times: With the rapid evolution of electric vehicles, autonomous technologies, and smart mobility, how has the regulatory landscape changed over the years, and how does your book address these developments?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
See formulating regulations is a continuous process and as you have rightly said regulations evolve as there is a change in technology. In the past decade we have witnessed that a lot of safety as well as emission regulations were mandated for all categories of vehicles. Industry has leapfrogged from BSIV norms to BS VI norms, implementation of ABS, Airbags, EVSC and ADAS in respective categories of vehicles. For energy security, the Government as well as industry is working on alternative fuels like EVs, CNG, LNG, Hydrogen and ethanol etc. and hence for each of the fuels separate regulations have been formulated.
The book has two dedicated chapters, one of safety regulations and the other on emissions regulations.
The Literature Times: Having spent decades working in automotive regulation, what are some of the biggest challenges you have observed in ensuring compliance across the industry?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
This question can be answered in two phases: –
Automotive industry is aligned with Government policies and supports the initiatives taken for example quickly moving from BS IV to BS VI norms, implementation of safety norms which nowhere exists in the world e.g. Fire protection in occupant compartment in buses and implementation of ADAS in a short span of time. Major challenge the industry sometimes faces is implementation timelines. Industry sometimes acts very quickly to ensure compliances on time, i.e. manufacturing vehicles well within the timelines and due to which some the validation plans need to be cut short, which sometimes brings failures in the market.Second challenge is the level playing field, if we particularly talk about commercial vehicles. Bus body builders were not brought into regulatory regime for some years due to which OEMs faced challenges to sell their vehicles.Third and most important is enforcement. There are very limited rules in place to ensure safety checks of in-use vehicles. OEMs ensure that when the vehicle moves out of company premises, it is fitted with all mandatory safety features, but there is limited mechanism to ensure the same in the in-use vehicle.
The Literature Times: The book combines legal interpretation with practical application. Why do you believe this balance is essential for professionals working in the transport and automotive sectors?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
In the transport and automotive sectors, the balance between legal interpretation and practical application is essential because professionals operate in a high-risk, heavily regulated environment where theoretical knowledge alone can lead to operational paralysis or severe legal liability.
The automotive and transport industries are governed by strict safety, environmental, and labor laws. Understanding the legal text prevents regulatory violations, while practical application translates those laws into actionable protocols.
The Literature Times: Road safety remains one of India’s biggest concerns. In your opinion, what role does proper understanding and implementation of the CMVR play in creating safer roads?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
Proper understanding and strict implementation of the CMVR play a critical, multi-dimensional role in reducing India’s massive burden of road fatalities mentioned in below bullet points: –
Active and Passive Safety: CMVR mandates critical safety features such as Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS), mandatory dual airbags, speed governors for commercial vehicles, and rear-parking sensors.
Crash Testing: Rules aligned under CMVR paved the way for policies like the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), ensuring cars meet localized crash safety standards.
Defective Recalls: Proper enforcement gives the government power to recall entire vehicle batches that pose environmental or physical risks to citizens.
Automated Fitness Centers: CMVR outlines the transition toward mandatory automated vehicle fitness testing. If implemented uniformly, it removes structurally unsafe, brake-failing hazards.
The Literature Times: Your professional journeys have been deeply connected with shaping India’s automotive ecosystem. Could you share one experience that significantly influenced your perspective on transport regulations?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja: Yes, as stated earlier the historic leapfrog from BS4 straight to BS6 emission norms. Skipping an entire regulatory generation (BS5) to enforce Bharat Stage VI (BS6) standards by April 2020 was an unprecedented move globally.
Secondly, India follows the European norms and therefore most of our Indian regulations are driven from the EU, but the good thing is now we are focusing on the needs of regulations as per our Indian road conditions. Implementation of fire protection in the occupant compartment for buses is purely an Indian Regulation.
For energy security we are now exploring multiple alternative fuels and EV is one of the examples. FAME schemes and state-level frameworks like the Delhi EV Policy. It shifted the mindset of the entire industry from defending legacy platforms to proactively engineering for a net-zero future
The Literature Times: What section or chapter of the book do you believe readers will find the most valuable, and why?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja: I mean each chapter has its own importance and is a book itself. If we start writing in detail, then each chapter can be converted into a book. So, in our view all chapters are important.
The Literature Times: As India moves toward sustainable and intelligent mobility solutions, what regulatory changes do you foresee becoming increasingly important over the next decade?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
As India transitions toward modern, intelligent, and sustainable transportation, regulatory frameworks must undergo massive transformations in terms of regulations. Over the next decade, Indian policymakers will need to shift away from traditional vehicle compliance and move toward regulating a hyper-connected, electric, and data-driven ecosystem.
So, when we are moving towards EVs, ADAS and connected vehicles, cyber security becomes of utmost importance. Explicit automotive cybersecurity mandates will be required to protect connected vehicular networks from remote hacking, shifting the focus to secure-by-design hardware and over-the-air (OTA) software updates.
Again, when EVs are now penetrating in our Ecosystem, that means that millions of large lithium-ion batteries will reach their end-of-life phase over the next decade. Current battery waste management rules will require stricter enforcement and evolution.
The Literature Times: What advice would you like to offer students, engineers, lawyers, and young professionals who wish to build a career in automotive regulation and transport policy?
Mohit Gupta & Vijayanta Ahuja:
In the present world, it really requires a blend of technical expertise, legal acumen, and strategic foresight. As the mobility sector undergoes massive transformations, i.e. driven by electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous driving, and zero emission goals, demand for interdisciplinary experts is required.
For engineering students, we would say if they want to build a career in regulatory field, they need to have ttransition from R&D or core manufacturing roles toward homologation, type approval, and regulatory compliance departments. Deepen your knowledge in functional safety protocols, V2X communication, cybersecurity, battery chemistry, and zero emission technologies.
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