The Supreme Court has ordered that no coercive action should be taken, for now, against owners of diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old in Delhi-NCR. The interim relief came during a hearing on August 12 in the long-running MC Mehta vs Union of India environmental matter.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, along with Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Justice N.V. Anjaria, issued the direction while hearing the Delhi Government's plea to review the 2018 order that upheld the blanket ban on such vehicles.
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The Court stated,
"In the meantime, no coercive steps to be taken against the owners of cars on the ground that they are 10 years old in respect of diesel vehicles and 15 years old in respect of petrol vehicles."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Government, argued that the ban was arbitrary. He pointed out that privately owned vehicles had to be sold after the age limit, while commercial vehicles of the same age could continue operating. The plea also highlighted that emission monitoring standards have become stricter since 2018, and pollution testing now has wider coverage.
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The government has asked the Court to direct the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to conduct a detailed scientific study to evaluate the actual environmental benefits of an age-based ban. The case also challenges the Delhi Government's 2024 "Guidelines for Handling End-of-Life Vehicles," which mandate scrapping overaged vehicles without statutory backing.
This hearing comes after the short-lived "no fuel for old vehicles" policy announced in July 2025, which faced public backlash and was quickly withdrawn. The matter will be heard again in four weeks.
Case Title:- MC Mehta v. Union of India
Case No.:- WP (C) No. 13029 of 1985 and IAs
