India Supreme Court Allows Enforcement on Older Polluting Vehicles in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday modified its earlier order to allow authorities in the Delhi-National Capital Region to take enforcement action against older vehicles that fail to meet Bharat Stage IV emission standards, as part of broader efforts to combat the region's worsening air pollution crisis.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, adjusted the August 12 interim directive, which had prohibited coercive measures against diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old. The revised order specifies that no such actions will be taken against vehicles compliant with BS-IV standards or newer, solely based on their age. However, vehicles operating under BS-III or lower emission norms—introduced before 2010 and known to emit significantly higher levels of particulate matter—can now face impounding or other penalties. The Commission for Air Quality Management had sought this change, noting that among the roughly 23 million vehicles in Delhi-NCR, about 370,000 run on BS-III or older standards and contribute disproportionately to pollution, emitting up to 31 times more...