Srinagar, Aug. 15 -- By Hamid Rather

A driver who moves a car from Delhi, Chandigarh, or Haryana into Jammu and Kashmir should be able to complete the documents without a fight.

Instead, that simple task has turned into a trip through several government counters, and often ends with a walk into the High Court.

The dispute centers on a 9 percent road or token tax that officials demand on vehicles already registered and taxed somewhere else in India.

The question resurfaced this summer in Mohammad Maqbool Mir and Another v. Union Territory of J&K, a petition heard by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Srinagar on July 8, 2026.

The petitioners, represented by this writer, asked the court to order new J&K registration mark...