The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that no coercive action will be taken against owners of 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi and NCR, PTI reported.
A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria issued the order after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, requested relief for vehicle owners.
“Issue notice, returnable in four weeks. In the meantime, we direct that no coercive steps be taken against the owners on the ground that vehicles are 10 years old in respect of diesel vehicles and 15 years old in respect of petrol vehicles,” the bench stated.
The Delhi government has challenged the blanket prohibition on such vehicles, a ban first imposed by a 2018 Supreme Court order. In July this year, the city administration, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, introduced a “no fuel for old vehicles” policy. However, it was suspended within two days amid widespread public backlash. Officials cited logistical hurdles and a lack of infrastructure for effective enforcement.
Subsequently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directed that refuelling be banned for end-of-life vehicles across Delhi-NCR starting November 1. The Delhi government contested this move before the apex court, arguing that the restrictions lacked scientific evidence.