Colour Coded Stickers for petrol, diesel Vehicles in Delhi and NCR- Supreme Court
Isabella Mariam
Colour Coded Stickers for Vehicles in Delhi and NCR
On Wednesday (15.01.2025), the Supreme Court of India observed that the responsibility for implementing the colour-coded stickers for petrol and diesel vehicles in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) lies with the vehicle owners. The Court granted time to the central government and the legal experts assisting in the case to devise a strategy for extending this requirement to vehicles registered prior to April 2019.
The Bench comprising of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the distinguished lawyer and environmental advocate, MC Mehta, who had urged for immediate measures to address the escalating pollution levels in the capital. The bench headed by Justice Abhay S. Oka, emphasized, "We want the provision of Law to say that the responsibility of affixing the sticker is on the vehicle owner. We are concerned how do we apply this to vehicles registered prior to April 1, 2019. "
The bench further remarked that a penalty provision should be instituted for owners who fail to comply with the directions. The Court has fixed the matter for further hearing on January 27.
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the Court as amicus curiae, highlighted that older vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region were not being provided with the necessary stickers. In response, the bench stated, "We will invoke our extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to ensure its implementation."
A report submitted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) revealed that, in the Delhi-NCR region, vehicles registered after April 2019 had shown an impressive 95% compliance rate with the rollout of high-security registration plates (HSRPs), including the hologram-based colour-coded stickers. However, the compliance rate for vehicles registered prior to this date remained alarmingly low, at only 30%.
Case No: W.P. (C) No. 13029 of 1985
Cause Title: M.C. Mehta Vs Union of India
Bench:Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
