New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday ordered that no “coercive action” should be taken against the owners of 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi. The directive comes after the Delhi government filed an application challenging the blanket ban on these vehicles.
A bench, led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and also comprising Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, heard the matter and issued a notice to the Delhi government. “In the meantime, no coercive steps to be taken against the owners of the car on the ground that they are 10 years old in respect to diesel vehicles and 15 years old with respect to petrol vehicles. List it after 4 weeks,” CJI Gavai stated, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The Supreme Court’s order was welcomed by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who called it a “big relief for residents of Delhi.” In a video message, the BJP leader explained that the Delhi government’s plea argued that a vehicle’s “end of life” should be determined by its pollution emissions and kilometers driven, not solely by its age.
The debate over old vehicles in the capital has been ongoing. In July, the Delhi government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, attempted to implement a “no fuel for old vehicles” policy, but it was quickly suspended due to public outcry and logistical challenges. Following this, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had issued a directive to enforce a similar ban from November 1.
The Delhi government has challenged this ban in the Supreme Court, arguing that the age-based restrictions lack a scientific basis. The petition specifically seeks a review of a 2018 Supreme Court order that upheld a 2015 directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which initially banned these older vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region to combat air pollution.