- In response to a Delhi government’s petition, the Supreme Court has suspended enforcement actions against older diesel and petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR.
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Check Offers The Supreme Court has ordered that no coercive steps be taken against diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old in Delhi and the National Capital Region until further orders.
The order came while hearing a Delhi government petition against a July 2025 directive of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which required fuel stations to stop supplying fuel to such vehicles and called for their scrapping in line with a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
Background
The dispute traces back to 2015 when the National Green Tribunal banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi-NCR to fight air pollution. The Supreme Court upheld the order in 2018.
In 2024, the Delhi government issued guidelines for handling end-of-life vehicles in public places. In July 2025, CAQM announced that from July 1, fuel stations in Delhi and some NCR districts would not supply fuel to these vehicles.
Public backlash and delay
After the July rollout, vehicle owners reported wrongful flagging and disruption to services. The Delhi government sought a delay, citing technical issues. On July 8, CAQM postponed enforcement in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Sonipat to November 1, 2025.
Review petition
On July 26, the Delhi government filed a review petition seeking changes to the 2018 order. It argued that since 2018, stricter emission monitoring, wider pollution testing, and BS-VI norms have come into effect, making an age-based ban unnecessary. The petition also called for a comprehensive scientific study by the Union Government and CAQM to determine whether the ban actually benefits the environment.
In early August, RTI replies revealed that CAQM had not conducted new research before reimposing the ban this year.
Court’s interim relief
During Tuesday’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the petition. A bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria issued notice to the Centre, returnable in four weeks. The court said no coercive steps should be taken in the meantime.
The case raises the question of whether India should stick to age-based bans or adopt pollution-level testing for all vehicles. For now, the court’s order gives temporary relief to affected vehicle owners ahead of the November deadline.
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First Published Date: 12 Aug 2025, 18:04 pm IST
