Delhi government to inform SC about hardships caused by selective end-of-life vehicle fuel ban. Officials blame AAP’s past lapses and seek NCR-wide enforcement for fairness.
New Delhi: Today, on July 7, the Delhi Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court to request a uniform ban on refuelling old vehicles—called End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles—across the entire National Capital Region (NCR).
This decision comes after people living in Delhi faced several problems due to the current restrictions, which apply only in Delhi and not in neighbouring areas.
The rule, introduced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), stops the sale of diesel to vehicles older than 10 years and petrol to those older than 15 years.
But since other NCR regions like Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida are still following older rules, many Delhi residents have been going to these places to refuel their old vehicles. This has created confusion and made it difficult to properly implement the rule.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta criticised the selective implementation of the policy. She said, “piecemeal restriction” has created problems in enforcement and has not brought much improvement in air quality.
She added,
“We are going to present facts before the Supreme Court and fight for the rights of Delhi residents. We will also plead that only those pollution parameters that are applicable in the entire country should be enforced in the Capital.” She also stated, “A collective ban across the NCR would be the ideal solution for countering the menace of polluting, end-of-life (EOL) vehicles.”
The Delhi government plans to file a petition before the Supreme Court, requesting that the rule be applied equally across all of NCR so that no region is unfairly affected.
The move aims to reduce inconvenience to people and improve overall air quality across the region.
According to officials, more than 80,000 vehicles have already been scrapped in Delhi under this programme.
However, proper implementation has been challenging because of limited infrastructure—such as a shortage of surveillance cameras and automatic monitoring systems.
Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa recently confirmed that the government has received recommendations from the Lieutenant Governor (LG), which included five suggestions.
One of these suggestions was to place the fuel ban review on hold until wider NCR alignment was ensured.
Other steps include writing to the CAQM and the Ministry of Roads & Highways and filing a review petition in the Supreme Court, explaining what steps Delhi has taken to reduce pollution in the last four months.
The CAQM had issued its directive on April 23, 2025, stating that fuel supply to EoL vehicles in Delhi would stop from July 1.
A gradual rollout in other NCR cities was planned, with full implementation across NCR expected by April 1, 2026.
But after public opposition and lack of readiness in other states, Delhi has decided to delay full enforcement while continuing to press for equal action across all regions.
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Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said,
“We are going to tell the Supreme Court that people should not be put to inconvenience for the lapses of the previous government.”
He also added,
“I don’t want to talk about a party which was born due to a bunch of lies and whose government kept lying and misleading people on issues like drinking water, roads, Yamuna-cleaning and Mohalla Clinics.”
He further criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying,
“Their leaders should remain confined to Punjab, where they have fled after lying to Delhi residents and losing the Assembly election.”
Manjinder Singh Sirsa wrote a letter to the CAQM, stating that the current enforcement was
“premature” and “potentially counterproductive.”
In his letter, he requested the Commission to
“place on hold the enforcement of Direction No. 80 dated April 23, 2025, which mandates the denial of fuel to EoL vehicles in Delhi.”
He also pointed out that the current plan is facing several issues. For example, there are
“technological glitches and gaps in the availability of vehicle databases from NCR states.”
Sirsa mentioned that the ban has triggered a backlash from vehicle owners, who are asking the government to ban old vehicles only based on their fitness and pollution levels, not just their age on paper.
The Delhi transport department has explained that EoL vehicles include all those that are not validly registered anymore, regardless of whether they use petrol, diesel, or CNG. It also includes petrol vehicles over 15 years old and diesel vehicles over 10 years old.
Experts in environmental law have supported the Delhi Government’s decision to take the matter to the Supreme Court, calling it a sensible and justified move.
They warned that unless all NCR states implement the same policy together, it will encourage people to re-register their vehicles in nearby regions, making the pollution control plan less effective.
Legal observers believe that this case could become a landmark judgment. If the court rules in favour of Delhi, it could set a strong precedent for implementing uniform environmental laws in big urban regions where pollution spreads across state boundaries.
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