Supreme Court Restores Ban on Old Diesel and Petrol Vehicles in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court has brought back the ban in the Delhi-NCR region on old, highly polluting vehicles that do not meet current emission standards. The Court clarified that diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years will face action if they do not comply with Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) or higher norms.

Earlier, on August 12, the Court had given temporary protection to owners of such vehicles by directing authorities not to take coercive steps. However, this protection has now been limited. The latest order makes it clear that only BS-IV and above vehicles will be spared, while BS-III and older vehicles can be impounded or penalised.

The decision was taken after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) approached the Court, stating that the blanket protection was preventing effective action against major sources of air pollution. CAQM highlighted that a large number of vehicles in Delhi-NCR still run on older engines and emit significantly higher levels of particulate matter compared to newer models.

The Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi accepted this concern and modified the earlier order. As a result, enforcement agencies are now free to act against non-compliant old vehicles to address worsening air quality in the region.