Stay on Action Against Plying Old Vehicles Was Overdue

It is a big day for over-aged vehicles owners in the Delhi-NCR as they can now bring out their choice of vehicles parked inside their houses for eight long years and go on a joy ride to celebrate as the Supreme Court has barred the Delhi police from taking any coercive action against them. The interim direction came by a Bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai. But those who sold their 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in compliance with the 2018 directives of the National Green Tribunal will now rue their decisions.

Though late in realising the futility of the NGT order putting a blanket ban on the vehicles on the basis of their age without giving a thought to their competence, the apex court as well as the BJP government in Delhi must be congratulated for bringing much-sought after relief to thousands of vehicles owners. The interim directions came on a petition by the government who argued in the court that the ban operated only for private vehicles and the owners of such vehicles faced many practical difficulties.

The government also argued that senior citizens were put to a hardship by this ban in 2018 as they found themselves unable to buy a new vehicle after retirement. The touchstone for a vehicle to be competent to drive on the road should be emission levels, not age. Nowhere in the world age as a basis for retiring vehicles has been implemented. 

The 2018 ban order was passed in a huff without going into its technical aspects. We hope that the court will now come up with a well-thought plan to retire polluting vehicles to improve the air quality in the Capital and NCR.