From the Editor's Desk

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (December 17) tweaked its earlier directions on end-of-life vehicles in the National Capital Region, clarifying that enforcement action may proceed against older diesel and petrol vehicles if they fall below Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) emission norms.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi recorded the revised position, stating that its earlier order dated August 12, 2025 stands modified. The court said "to the extent that no coercive steps shall be taken against owners of vehicles which are BS-IV and newer on the ground that they are above 10 years old (in case of diesel engines) and 15 years old (in case of petrol engines)."

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The clarification came after the Delhi Government approached the court seeking permission to act against older vehicles up to BS-III norms, citing the city’s pollution emergency. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Delhi Government, argued that older vehicles significantly worsen emissions. "Older vehicles, their emission standards are very poor, and they are adding to the pollution," she submitted.

Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the MC Mehta air pollution proceedings, backed the Delhi Government’s stand and pointed to the timeline of emission standards. "BS-IV came in 2010, and BS-III models are before that."

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The issue traces back to a 2015 National Green Tribunal direction barring diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from plying in Delhi-NCR as an anti-pollution measure—an order the Supreme Court upheld in 2018. In 2024, the Delhi Government also issued guidelines on handling end-of-life vehicles in public places.

More recently, the Delhi Government announced that end-of-life vehicles would be denied fuel at petrol pumps from July 1, 2025, but the move was later paused following public backlash. The state subsequently sought changes to the enforcement framework, culminating in the August 12, 2025 order and the latest modification.