JUDGMENT :

1. The petitioner, a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of plywood and veneer at its factory in Vettickal, Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam, uses two forklifts, purchased in 2005 and 2017, and a crane, purchased in 2002, exclusively for lifting and moving timber logs within its 6-acre factory premises. It is the petitioner’s case that these machines function solely as material- handling equipment inside the enclosed factory compound and are never used on public roads, and therefore, they do not fall within the definition of “motor vehicle” under Section 2 (28) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and do not require registration.

3. The petitioner further contends that Section 39 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 , mandates registration only for vehicles intended