Supreme Court to review blanket ban on older petrol, diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR—Here's why it was banned?

In a significant development, the Supreme Court is set to examine the absurd ban on older petrol and diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday. The move comes in response to a petition filed by the Delhi government, contesting the complete ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. In response to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) decision, the government argues that the age restriction ban lacks scientific backing.

The matter will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran. A key issue to be addressed is whether Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) compliant vehicles should still be subjected to arbitrary end-of-life restrictions based solely on age.

In its petition, the Delhi government has requested a thorough investigation by the Centre and CAQM to evaluate the actual environmental benefits of age-based restrictions versus emission-based criteria, according to a report by HT.

Why was Delhi’s old vehicle ban policy banned?

The existing ban was first imposed in 2015 by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which barred diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from operating in Delhi-NCR. "The vehicles that are more than 15 years old will not be permitted to be parked in any public area, and they shall be towed away and challenged by the police under the law. This direction would apply to all vehicles without exception, i.e., two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, light vehicles, and heavy vehicles, irrespective of whether commercial or otherwise," the NGT stated in its order on November 26, 2014.

However, the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, indicating alarming air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR and a need to protect public health. In response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) prohibited the fuel stations from supplying petrol and diesel to these "end-of-life" vehicles from July 1, 2025.

However, the policy was put on hold just two days after facing public backlash. Later, officials indicated challenges in logistics and gaps in infrastructure, particularly tracking and enforcing the complete ban effectively.

Ahead of the review of the Supreme Court on the End-of-Life (EoL) vehicle policy, Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated last week that pollution levels of vehicles should be determined based on their usage rather than their age.

"There are many vehicles that have aged, but because they haven't been used much, their pollution levels are lower. There are so many new vehicles whose age is less but have been used a lot; so we believe that the parameter to determine pollution levels must be the use of the vehicle instead of its age," Sirsa told news agency ANI.

The Delhi government indicated that the current complete ban affects middle- and lower-income groups that depend solely on used vehicles for essential mobility.