Section 212-217

Sections 212–217 are the concluding miscellaneous provisions of the MVA. Section 212 prevents government agencies from using non-compliant vehicles in accident-affected areas — ensuring that emergency and disaster response vehicles also meet safety standards. Section 213 consolidates the Central Government's rule-making power for implementing the entire Act. Section 215 provides the standard good-faith protection for government officers acting under the Act — protecting individual officers from personal liability for bona fide enforcement actions while preserving judicial review of authority. Section 216 is particularly important: the MVA applies to government vehicles — police vehicles, army trucks, state road transport corporation buses, and all government fleet vehicles must comply with registration, insurance, fitness, and permit requirements. This prevents a two-tier system where government vehicles escape the safety and accountability framework. Section 217 formally repealed the Motor Vehicles Act 1939 — the legislation that governed Indian road transport for 49 years from independence until the 1988 Act came into force. The saving provisions preserve the validity of licences, registrations, and permits issued under the 1939 Act.