Relief for car owners in Delhi-NCR: Supreme Court says 'no coercive action' against end-of-life diesel, petrol vehicles

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that no coercive steps be taken against owners of 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR for the time being.

Hearing a Delhi government’s plea challenging the restrictions on such vehicles, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Vinod K Chandran and N V Anjaria issued notice returnable in four weeks.

"In the meantime, no coercive steps to be taken against the owners of the car on the ground that they are 10 years old in respect to diesel vehicles and 15 years old with respect to petrol vehicles," Bar and Bench quoted the CJI as saying.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing in the matter, argued that the ban was arbitrary.

“I have a vehicle. I use it for going from court to home and back to court. After 10 years, it will be 2,000 km. Somebody uses it for taxi, in two years it will be 1 lakh km. So my vehicle I have to sell because 10 years have passed but that 1 lakh km run vehicle will continue running. There has to be no coercive steps because the police is under an obligation to seize the vehicles,” Mehta submitted.

In July, the Delhi government announced a "no fuel for old vehicles" policy, under which end-of-life (EoL) diesel and petrol vehicles were to be denied refuelling at fuel stations. The policy, however, was paused within two days following public backlash.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) later extended the implementation timeline, citing operational and technological concerns flagged by the Delhi government. The ban will now come into force from November 1, 2025, in Delhi and five high vehicle density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat, and from April 1, 2026, in the rest of the NCR.

Earlier, the Delhi transport department and traffic police had begun impounding EoL vehicles found refuelling from July 1 this year, after the enforcement of a court-mandated ban.

The Delhi government contended that denying fuel based solely on a vehicle’s age, without considering its emission performance or fitness, was unfair and inconsistent with the spirit of the Motor Vehicles Act.

“All EoL vehicles identified through the ANPR cameras system or other such systems installed at the fuel pump stations shall be denied fueling w.e.f. 01.11.2025 in the NCT of Delhi and 5 high vehicle density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat and w.e.f. 01.04.2026 in the rest of NCR.” CAQM said in its partially amended clause.

“Immediate legal action should be taken in respect of such EoL vehicles, including impounding and further disposal in accordance with RVSF Rules, 2021 and other extant policies of the respective State Governments and the GNCTD.”