The Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday quashed an FIR and charge sheet filed against Dr. Lajja Ram Bishnoi, the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Meghalaya, in a case alleging the misuse and tampering of his official vehicle’s registration number.

The court, in its five-page order, concluded that while the petitioner had been authorized to use the vehicle, there was no specific registration number assigned to it by the state authorities. Although the vehicle in question carried a registration number allocated to a different police vehicle, the court found no evidence indicating that Bishnoi had instructed the use of that particular number.

The case stemmed from an FIR filed on May 9, 2024, by GK Langrai, a suspended Meghalaya Police Service officer, who accused Bishnoi of using a fake registration number on his official vehicle, a Kia Carnival registered in Assam. Langrai claimed the vehicle was using the registration number of a Hyundai Verna, which was assigned to another vehicle in the state.

Following an investigation, a charge sheet was filed in September 2024 under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, accusing Bishnoi of using the incorrect registration number. However, the court ruled that the charges did not meet the legal requirements for prosecution.

Bishnoi’s legal team argued that the offense under Section 192 of the MV Act was non-cognizable, and the police had not obtained the necessary magistrate’s approval to investigate the matter. The court also noted that the conditions set by the Transport Department regarding vehicle use were unclear and contradictory.

In light of these findings, the court quashed the FIR and charge sheet, allowing the former DGP’s plea.