New Delhi: The issue of whether BS-IV compliant 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol cars are banned from plying on Delhi-NCR roads is back in the Supreme Court.
In August and December last year, the top court, through two orders, had put on hold its own October 2018 direction that imposed an age-based blanket ban on petrol and diesel cars. The directions specifically said no coercive action shall be taken against these cars, implying that they would not be stopped from plying.
However, confusion prevails on the ground, as pollution control centres stations refuse to issue valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates to such “End of Life” (EoL) vehicles. Resultantly, these cars are being denied fuel due to current Delhi government guidelines, forcing the vehicles to stay parked indoors.
Notably, the two 2025 Supreme Court orders, which put in abeyance its 2018 ban directive, came on a Delhi government application.
An application, highlighting this “anomalous” situation was mentioned Wednesday before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s bench.
Senior advocate Rakesh Khanna described it as a complete “disregard” of the judicial orders and requested the court to clarify the intent of its previous orders. Khanna said the regulatory lacuna has resulted in “undue burden” on passengers, who have maintained their cars properly and are not at fault.
Though the CJI agreed to take up the application, he observed that he expected citizens to assist in reducing pollution levels in the Capital and nearby areas.
Khanna assured him that the cars coming under the purview were either BS-IV compliant or fitted with advanced technology that met clean air laws and environmental standards.
On 10 October, 2018, the Supreme Court banned 10-year-old petrol vehicles and 15-year-old diesel cars from plying on roads.
This order was modified on 12 August, 2025, following the Delhi government’s recall application. The interim order restrained authorities from taking coercive steps against owners of the vehicles on the ground.
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Subsequently, on 17 December, 2025, the court modified its order to the extent that no steps would be taken against owners of petrol and diesel cars that are more than 10 and 15 years old if they are BS-IV compliant or have better emission technology.
Between the two orders, CAQM came up with a notification.
Issued in October 2025, the notification announced that CAQM’s April 2025 direction would be kept in abeyance. This direction mandated that no petrol pump shall refuel cars “End of Life” petrol and diesel vehicles. For Delhi this direction would come into effect from 1 July, 2025, for the five high vehicle density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Sonipat from 1 November, 2025 and for the rest of NCR from 1 April, 2026.
To comply with Supreme Court’s modified orders, CAQM issued the fresh October 2025 notification. Meanwhile, the Delhi government issued a notification on 17 December, 2025, making PUC compulsory for refueling of vehicles.
The application filed before the top court mentions a lack of awareness about the Supreme Court’s two orders that lifts the ban on the EoL vehicles from plying.
Filed by a Delhi-based resident who owns a 2016 BS-IV compliant Volvo, the application states that, in November 2025, a Pollution Control Centre issued a PUC certificate, which was valid up to 25 February, 2026, the date on which the car completed 10 years.
Therefore, in accordance with Delhi government’s December 2025 instructions, petrol pumps have refused to sell diesel to refuel the petitioner’s vehicle.
Upon enquiry, the petitioner learnt the software systems installed at PUC centres do not permit issuance of a certificate to vehicles that cross the given age threshold even if they pass the emission tests.
These systems, it appears, have not been updated due to the absence of guidelines from the appropriate authorities, particularly the department that registers vehicles.
“That the practical consequence of this lacuna in the regulatory machinery is that owners of otherwise compliant cars are caught in a catch 22. The BS-IV and newer standard compliant vehicles which cross 10 or 15 years of age are prevented from plying on the roads not because they fail the emissions test but because they are unable to obtain a PUCC certificate because of its age,” stated the application.
The car’s registration certificate is valid up to March 2031 and is duly insured up to February 2027.
(Edited by: Amrtansh Arora)
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