Supreme Court Bars Authorities From Taking Coercive Action Against 10, 15-Year-Old Vehicles in Delhi
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New Delhi: In a move that came as a relief to many, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) passed an interim order, barring police and other authorities from taking any coercive action against owners plying petrol vehicles aged over 15 years and diesel ones more than 10 years old in the Delhi National Capital Region.
With this interim order, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, effectively stalled an October 2018 ban imposed by the top court on plying vehicles which had crossed the age limits, reported The Hindu.
During the hearing, solicitor general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, who were appearing for Delhi government, submitted that the ban operated for private owners while the same vehicle could be used for commercial purposes beyond the 10-year threshold.
Mehta requested the court for a stay on the 2018 ban order to prevent the police from seizing them.
“Over the course of the last seven years, the ban on plying these vehicles, though undoubtedly salutary in aim, was observed to have caused numerous practical hardships to the citizens of Delhi. Today, in light of the advancements in technology and enforcement, these hardships faced by commuters prima facie outweigh the prudence of the ban,” ASG Bhati submitted.
Advocate Charu Mathur appeared for a senior citizen who would be forced to sell his car at scrap value, and would never be able to buy another.
“The road-worthiness of a vehicle is a technical and scientific issue that must be linked to actual emissions as tested and recorded by mechanisms as set out under the Motor Vehicles Act, the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, etc., as opposed to a blanket ban on the basis of age which is unlinked to actual emissions. A balanced policy would ensure not only the protection of the environment through the phasing out of polluting vehicles, but would also preserve the rights of the responsible vehicle owners,” ASG Bhati submitted.
After hearing the arguments, the bench of CJI Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria passed the interim direction that no coercive action will be taken against owners of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi NCR, reported LiveLaw.
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