The Supreme Court on Tuesday said no coercive action will be taken, for now, against owners of diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old in the National Capital Region (NCR).

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justices Vinod K Chandran, and NV Anjaria issued notices to the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on the Delhi government’s plea challenging the blanket ban on such vehicles. The matter will be heard again after four weeks.

During the proceedings, Justice Gavai remarked, “Earlier, one used to use cars for 40–50 years. Now, still vintage cars are there…” The Delhi government’s petition urged the court to recall its October 29, 2018 order that upheld the National Green Tribunal’s directive on age-based bans.

The plea argued for a shift from age-based restrictions to an emissions-based policy, stating that pollution control should be determined by scientific testing of actual emissions from individual vehicles. It also called for a comprehensive study by the Centre and CAQM to evaluate the environmental impact of age-based versus emissions-based rules. The petition noted that stricter emission monitoring and expanded pollution testing coverage have been implemented since 2018, making a blanket age-based ban unnecessary.