On Wednesday, the Supreme Court revisited its earlier stance on vehicular emission controls in the National Capital Region, withdrawing the temporary protection that had shielded end-of-life vehicles from enforcement action. The move followed a fresh assessment placed before the Court by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), prompting a course correction in how ageing, high-emission vehicles are regulated in Delhi and the NCR.
The case arose from an order under which end-of-life vehicles operating in Delhi and the National Capital Region were granted protection from coercive measures, based on the air quality assessment prevailing at the time. The relief was expressly interim in nature and subject to further review by the Commission for Air Quality Management. In the months that followed, the Commission undertook a fresh examination of the environmental impact of older vehicles, with particular focus on those operating under outdated emission norms.
In its latest report, the CAQM advised the Court that vehicles complying with Bharat Stage-III standards and below should no longer be covered by the earlier protection. It pointed out that such vehicles, due to their limited emission-control capabilities, continue to contribute disproportionately to air pollution. The Commission, therefore, sought a modification of the August order to allow authorities to proceed against these categories of vehicles.
Accepting the revised recommendation, the Apex Court held that the interim relief could not be allowed to persist for vehicles that fall short of current pollution benchmarks. The Court accordingly modified its earlier direction, lifting the shield from BS-III and older end-of-life vehicles in Delhi and the NCR.
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