Luxury diesel car owner moves SC after PUC denial despite relief for older vehicles

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a plea from a luxury car owner who alleged that authorities were refusing to issue a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate for his over 10-year-old diesel vehicle, despite the court’s earlier order preventing coercive action against certain old vehicles based only on their age.

The petitioner argued that high-end vehicles, including the Volvo XC60 owned by him, are well-maintained and not necessarily polluting, and that the court had allowed such vehicles to continue operating subject to compliance with emission norms.

Senior advocate Rakesh Khanna, appearing for the petitioner, told a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant that the vehicle had cleared emission tests but was still denied a PUC certificate.

According to Khanna, the owner was informed that "the software systems at PUCC centres and operating instructions thereof do not permit issuance of a PUC certificate to a vehicle that crosses the given age threshold, even if the vehicle passes the emission test."

The denial of the certificate has also prevented the owner from purchasing fuel for the vehicle, effectively making it unusable, the court was told.

CJI questions challenge to old vehicle policy

During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned the petitioner’s challenge to the restrictions, saying the purpose behind the policy was to address pollution concerns.

"You know why the policy was framed. These are gas guzzlers.. you should support the policy. We will hear you but you should support the policy," the CJI said.

The bench agreed to list the matter for further hearing.

Background of old vehicle restrictions

The issue relates to restrictions on end-of-life vehicles in Delhi-NCR, where the Supreme Court had earlier barred authorities from taking action against vehicles solely because they crossed the age limit of 10 years for diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol vehicles.

However, the court later clarified that the relief would apply only to vehicles meeting BS-IV and BS-VI emission standards.

The Supreme Court’s December 17 order came after concerns over the impact of age-based restrictions on vehicle owners. The order affected a large number of vehicles in Delhi-NCR, including BS-I, BS-II and BS-III category vehicles.

Earlier, the Delhi government had sought a scientific review of whether the complete ban on older petrol and diesel vehicles in the NCR should continue.