Acting on a request by the Delhi Government, the Supreme Court allowed enforcement against pre-BS-IV vehicles in Delhi NCR, citing their poor emission standards and contribution to the region’s air pollution crisis.
BY PC Bureau
In a significant clarification amid Delhi’s worsening air pollution crisis, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (December 17) allowed authorities to take action against older vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) that do not meet BS-IV emission standards, even if they are protected by age-based exemptions.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi modified its earlier order of August 12, which had barred coercive action against diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, to permit action against vehicles falling below BS-IV norms.
The clarification came after the Delhi Government sought permission to act against older, more polluting vehicles in view of the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. Appearing for the government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati urged the court to allow enforcement against vehicles up to BS-III standards, submitting that such vehicles “have very poor emission standards and are adding significantly to pollution.”
Supreme Court Withdraws Protection for BS3 and Older Vehicles in Delhi-NCR
The Supreme Court has ended the temporary protection earlier granted to end-of-life vehicles (EOL) with Bharat Stage III or older emission standards in Delhi-NCR. These vehicles will once again be subject… pic.twitter.com/AtM5Uy0oD7
— MotorBeam (@MotorBeam) December 17, 2025
Supporting the submission, Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, the amicus curiae in the air pollution matter (MC Mehta case), pointed out that BS-IV emission norms were introduced in 2010, and vehicles compliant only with BS-III predate that benchmark.
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The bench clarified that its August 12 order stands modified to the extent that no coercive action shall be taken against BS-IV and newer vehicles solely on the basis of age—10 years in the case of diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol vehicles.
The court also recalled that in 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed that diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years should not be allowed to ply in Delhi NCR to combat air pollution—a direction that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
In 2024, the Delhi Government issued guidelines for handling end-of-life vehicles in public places. It subsequently ordered that such vehicles would not be supplied fuel at petrol pumps from July 1, 2025, a move that was later put on hold following public backlash. The government thereafter sought a modification of the ban, leading to the August 12 order and its present clarification by the court.
