What are the legal rules regarding applying black film to a car? Know the big decision of RTO and Supreme Court

Many people consider applying black film or sun control film to the car windows to keep the temperature in the car low during summer days and increase the cooling effect of the AC. But putting any kind of extra film on the car windows can be a legal offense in India. Let us understand in detail what are the exact laws of the Supreme Court and the Central Motor Vehicle Rules in this regard and what percentage of transparency is allowed,

1. What is the historic judgment of Supreme Court??

In the year 2012, the Supreme Court, while hearing a public interest petition, completely banned black films on cars for safety reasons.

Reason for ban: Black films make it impossible to see from the outside what exactly is going on inside the car or who is sitting there. Due to this, the court took this strict decision to curb the criminal trend and for the safety of women.

Rules: You can’t buy any sun control film on the market and stick it over the car glass—whether the film is 5% black or 70% transparent.

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2. So what exactly is the rule of transparency??

As per Rule 100 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the criteria for transparency has been laid down, but there is a major catch which is not understood by many motorists. The rule means that while making the car itself, the glass must be made according to the rule of 70% and 50% transparency. That is, if the company has already made the glass 50% transparent, and you put another film of 50% transparent over it, the transparency is further reduced and becomes a crime. In short, it is strictly forbidden by law to stick any film on top of the glass.

3. Are tinted glasses legal??

Yes! If your car is manufactured with black or dark tinted glass, it is perfectly legal. Companies like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, or Tata offer green glasses or UV cut glasses in their top models. These are made with chemicals inside the glass (no film applied on top) and meet RTO norms.

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4. Exceptions and penal action

VIP Suite: Only VIPs with security category and the cars of the President, Prime Minister or persons holding certain government positions are officially allowed to have black film for security reasons.

Penalty Action: If you apply black film on the vehicle, traffic police or RTO officials can punish you in two ways,

1. They can scratch and remove your film on the spot.

2. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, a fine of ₹500 for first offense and up to ₹1,500 for repeat offences.

Legal options to avoid the sun: If you don’t want the sun in the car, you can use removable sunshades or fabric curtains while the car is parked or driving. These are not fixed on the car glass and can be easily removed if stopped by the traffic police.