New Delhi, Aug 12 In a huge relief to the public, the Supreme Court on Tuesday passed an interim order directing that no coercive action be taken against owners of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) — diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old — operating in Delhi-NCR.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria was hearing a plea by the Delhi government seeking a review of the Supreme Court’s 2018 order that prohibited diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, from plying in the national Capital and adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) areas.
Issuing a notice on the Delhi government’s application, returnable within four weeks, the CJI Gavai-led Bench ordered that, in the meantime, no coercive steps will be taken against the owners on the ground that the vehicles are 10 years old in the case of diesel and over 15 years old in the case of petrol.
In its plea, the city government has requested the top court to direct the Central government or the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to undertake a comprehensive scientific study.
The application argued that the study should assess the actual environmental impact of the age-based vehicle ban and evaluate whether such a measure makes a meaningful contribution to air quality improvement in Delhi-NCR areas.
The plea emphasised the need to re-examine the effectiveness, feasibility, and fairness of a blanket age-based restriction.
Instead, the city government suggested a more refined, emission-based regulatory framework that takes into account individual vehicle emissions and roadworthiness rather than relying solely on age as a disqualifying factor.
"The current approach mandates collective compliance, without distinguishing between heavily polluting and well-maintained, low-use vehicles," the Delhi government’s application said.
Urging the apex court to permit all fit and non-polluting vehicles to ply in Delhi without an age cap — a rule followed across the rest of the country — the city government pleaded that the directive has imposed undue hardship on middle-class citizens who rely on such vehicles for limited yet essential transport needs.
It further highlighted that BS-6 (Bharat Stage 6) vehicles, introduced as a cleaner emission standard, emit significantly fewer pollutants than their BS-4 counterparts. The Delhi government said that many vehicles currently impacted by the blanket ban are well-maintained, compliant with emission norms, and used infrequently, factors that result in minimal actual emissions.
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