Relief for Delhi Car Owners: Supreme Court Halts Action on Old Vehicles

Relief for Delhi Car Owners: Supreme Court Halts Action on Old Vehicles

RMN News Report Highlights:

• Supreme Court has halted coercive action against owners of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.
• The Delhi government has suspended its directive to bar End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles from refueling at petrol stations.
• This suspension is due to operational challenges, technical hurdles like improper ANPR camera installation, and a legal challenge by petrol dealers.
• The decision raises concerns that severe air pollution in Delhi will persist, despite the city’s ongoing air quality crisis.

RMN News Delhi Desk
August 12, 2025

NEW DELHI – In a significant development for vehicle owners in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Supreme Court has declared that no coercive action will be taken against owners of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.

This decision follows a petition mentioned by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Delhi government, prompting a bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria to issue a notice to the Centre, returnable in four weeks.

RELATED RMN NEWS STORIES

[ Picture of the Day: Canine Concerns and Civic Chaos on Delhi Streets ]

[ 🔊 दिल्ली की सड़कों पर आवारा कुत्तों का आतंक: ऑडियो विश्लेषण ]

[ Autonomous Vehicles: Are We Ready for Self-Driving Cars? ]

[ Anti-Corruption Crusader Demands Swift Action in Delhi Bureaucratic Scandal ]

This judicial intervention comes after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a central anti-pollution panel, had ordered a stop to fuel supply for “end-of-life” vehicles and mandated their scrapping in July, in line with a 2018 Supreme Court order. The CAQM order had previously been deferred until November 1 due to public backlash and the Delhi government’s intervention.

Adding to the relief for vehicle owners, the Delhi government has independently suspended its controversial directive that sought to bar End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles from refueling at city petrol stations. Announced on July 3rd by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, this decision follows widespread public outcry and mounting legal challenges. The directive was intended to enforce the 2018 Supreme Court ruling banning diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old.

The suspension of the fuel ban by the Delhi government is attributed to several “key operational challenges” and technical hurdles. Minister Sirsa cited issues such as improper Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera installation, a critical lack of data integration with neighboring states, and the absence of a fully functional ANPR system infrastructure outside Delhi. Sirsa urged the CAQM to hold implementation of Direction No. 89 until the ANPR system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR, warning that enforcing the ban solely in Delhi could lead to increased cross-border fuel procurement and potentially foster illegal fuel markets.

The policy also faced significant public opposition and a legal challenge in the Delhi High Court. The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association filed a plea, arguing that as private operators, petrol dealers lack the legal authority to deny fuel and should not be burdened with government enforcement. They also contested the use of Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act to penalize dealers and deemed the current penalty structure for inadvertent lapses as “disproportionate and unreasonable,” especially given the high daily footfall at petrol stations.

These developments highlight the complex battle against severe air pollution in Delhi, recognized as the world’s most polluted capital. The city grapples with a grave air quality crisis, leading to thousands of residents succumbing to pollution-related diseases annually and frequent school closures due to hazardous smog levels. While the now-stalled directives aimed to tackle vehicular pollution, a major contributor to the city’s toxic air, the suspension of the fuel ban raises concerns that the pervasive issue of air pollution in Delhi is set to persist, leaving residents to continue grappling with compromised air quality.