Supreme Court reinstates ban on 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 to enforcement action, marking a reversal of the court’s August 12 order that had paused penalties against EOL vehicles in the region.
The decision follows a recommendation from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which highlighted the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and pressed for reinstating curbs on older, higher-polluting vehicles. During the hearing, the Centre also supported modifying the earlier order, arguing that the exemption was being misused by owners of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles that are otherwise prohibited in Delhi-NCR.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, clarified that only BS4 and newer vehicles will continue to receive protection from coercive action. This effectively reinstates the earlier policy framework that bans the use of BS3 and older vehicles – classified as end-of-life vehicles – on public roads in the national capital region.
The CAQM’s request stemmed from observations that the August order had allowed thousands of outdated vehicles to return to the roads, reversing years of progress in curbing vehicular pollution. The commission compared emissions of these BS3-and-older vehicles with modern BS6 models and noted a significant difference in pollution output, prompting the need for immediate corrective steps.
This ruling also restores the intent of the Supreme Court’s 2018 order, which had endorsed the National Green Tribunal’s 2014 directive to phase out old polluting vehicles from Delhi-NCR as part of long-term measures to tackle persistent smog and deteriorating air quality.