Two ultra-luxury Rolls-Royce cars, once with the names of the legends of the Bollywood industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, written on them, have found themselves in a commotion of controversies in Bengaluru.
The issue?
These out-of-state vehicles used in Karnataka are unpaid road tax worth more than 38 lakh due to their use in the state without documentation and/or paying the due tax.
Although the two acting giants no longer possess these vehicles, they were sold off to a wealthy business-politician by the name Yusuf Sharif, popularly referred to as KGF Babu after his place of birth, Kolar Gold Fields. Hence, his passion for the Kannada film KGF is due to its popularity.
The Fines, The Fallout, The Cars
Bachchan owned a Rolls-Royce Phantom, which resulted in a fine of 18.53 lakh. On the other hand, the Ghost, which was registered by Aamir Khan, received a fine of 19.73 lakh. The two vehicles are both registered in Maharashtra and had been flagged out by the RTO Bengaluru since they were using the roads within Karnataka, and yet they had not paid the local road tax; something that is against the transport laws of Karnataka.
Authorities disclosed that the phantom had been in Bengaluru since the year 2021 and Ghost since the year 2023. The Phantom was not initially ordered to pay the penalty because it had not gone a full year in the state, but its long usage finally led to the high amount.
Ownership Still on Paper — But Not in Practice
This is interesting in such a way that even though the cars have been in possession of Sharif for years, there has been no official transfer of ownership. The legality of the vehicles is further complicated by the fact that cars are still in the ownership of the Bollywood stars on paper.
The loop has opened the grey zone in the Indian Vehicle-owner and tax mechanisms, wherein the luxury vehicles can be re-sold but not necessarily registered in the name of the new owner.
KGF Babu Connection
Yusuf Sharif is not an ordinary enthusiast of cars. A former scrap dealer, he became a political leader and a wealthy person as he had declared assets worth 1744 crore rupees during the 2021 Karnataka MLC elections. He is known for his taste of luxury, and now these Rolls-Royces have given a legal lip to his extravagant life.
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