Delhi Govt seeks review of vehicle age ban in Supreme Court

New Delhi, Jul 26: The Delhi government has moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its 2018 order banning 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR). In its application filed in the MC Mehta v. Union of India case, the government argued that the order was not based on any scientific or environmental impact assessment and has caused hardship, especially to middle- and lower-income citizens, reports Bar & Bench.  According to Bar and Bench, the Delhi government pointed out that stricter emission norms, including the Bharat Stage-VI standards introduced in 2020, and wider implementation of the Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) system make the age-based ban outdated. It said many BS-VI vehicles may be removed from roads without justification.

The plea also noted that such vehicles often clock fewer kilometres annually and cause minimal pollution, while the ban has adversely affected the second-hand car market, a key option for many citizens.

On July 7, The Greater Kashmir carried an article titled Do not blame the old vehicles: Clean air needs smarter solutions, not blanket bans. The article suggested that a better way forward lies not in bans, but in balance. Just as the old saying goes, you do not empty the entire well just because a dead animal falls into it; you remove the contaminant. Similarly, we should regulate pollution, not vehicles by age alone. The government urged the Court to recall its 2018 order and requested that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) be directed to conduct a scientific study on the actual impact of age-based bans. The matter will be heard on July 28 by a Bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai, along with similar petitions filed by private individuals.