Karaj Singh v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

Karaj Singh, a trainee driving instructor, applied on 9 February 2026 to the Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors for a third trainee licence. He had earlier held three trainee licences from 2 May 2023 to 28 November 2024, and two further licences covering 12 months from 17 February 2025 to 16 February 2026. That made 28 months in total, to which the Registrar added almost eight months during which his existing licence remained valid pending the appeal. On 23 April 2026 the Registrar refused the application, taking account of the Appellant's representations of 25 February 2026. The reasons given were that he had provided no evidence of lost training time or a lack of pupils and appeared to be using trainee licences as a source of income. The Registrar also said that trainee licences were not intended to run for as long as it takes to pass the Part 3 test, and that a licence was not needed to sit that test. The Appellant had failed one Part 3 attempt and said that test dates had been cancelled. He appealed on 30 April 2026, citing circumstances beyond his control, personal issues, a lack of test dates, financial hardship and the need for practical teaching experience. The Registrar's response of 27 July 2026 maintained the refusal and noted that alternative routes to training were available. The Appellant appeared in person at a remote hearing; the Respondent was not represented.