Supreme Court Grants Interim Relief: No Coercive Action Against 10-Year Diesel & 15-Year Petrol Vehicles

On August 12, the Supreme Court issued a crucial interim order stating that no coercive action on old vehicles—specifically diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years—will be taken in Delhi-NCR.

The bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Vinod K Chandran and NV Anjaria agreed to hear petitions challenging the existing End-of-Life (EoL) vehicle criteria.

Policy Enforcement Faces Criticism

The no coercive action on old vehicles ruling comes after concerns over the fairness and feasibility of the ban. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the rule unfairly treats all vehicles the same regardless of usage—whether they clocked 2,000 km or over a lakh kilometers.

Delhi Government Seeks Policy Review

The Delhi government has also filed a review petition requesting changes to the 10-year diesel and 15-year petrol restriction. Multiple individual petitions from vehicle owners are pending before the court.

Ban Impacted Fuel Purchase in Delhi

Earlier, under the EoL policy, vehicles breaching the age limit were prohibited from buying fuel in Delhi from July 1, regardless of registration status. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa criticized the move as “premature” and called for data-driven alternatives.

Millions of Vehicles Affected Across NCR

Official figures show Delhi has 6.2 million EoL vehicles, including 4.1 million two-wheelers. The wider NCR region hosts around 4.4 million such vehicles, with the majority located in urban centers.

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