New Delhi : New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ended protection to End of Life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi-NCR with poor emission standards of BS-III and below. The court passed the order on recommendation of Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) modifying its August 12 order which extended protection from any coercive action to all EOL vehicles in Delhi and NCR.
The order came after Additional Solicitor Generals Aishwarya Bhati, while appearing during the Delhi pollution case, sought a modification of the SC order granting protection against coercive steps to those driving 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi. Para 2 of August 12, 2025 order is modified to the extent that no coercive steps shall be taken for BS-4 vehicles and above,” Chief Justice Justice Surya Kant said while affirming the modification of the court order, according to Bar and Bench.
The CAQM had cited the pollution in the capital and urged the court to review its August direction for no coercive action against those driving 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi. The SC order had stayed the implementation of its October 2018 order, which gave a nod to a 2014 National Green Tribunal judgment, that allowed keeping polluting vehicles – end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) with outdated emission standards of BS-III and below – off the roads to combat pollution.
The bench cautioned against any leakages in the process, observing that it should not be that money transferred to workers’ accounts disappears or travels to another account. It also asked the Delhi government to consider providing alternative work to construction workers who are unable to earn due to restrictions imposed to curb pollution. The bench directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to revisit and strengthen its long-term strategies.
It also asked CAQM and NCR governments to examine critical issues such as urban mobility, traffic management, and incentivising farmers to prevent stubble burning, stressing that piecemeal approaches would not resolve the crisis.
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