Supreme Court Seeks Action Plan on Vehicle Pollution in Delhi-NCR: Old Vehicles, PUC Checks and Inter-State Coordination
On 6 November 2026, the Supreme Court asked Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to explain what they are doing to stop over-age and non-compliant vehicles (vehicles that do not meet pollution rules) from entering and running in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Police were also asked to reply. All of them must file their responses within two weeks.
The bench (Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana) gave the directions while hearing a suo motu case (a case the court starts on its own) on air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The court wants details of: how vehicles that break emission standards are identified; how Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates are enforced; how many vehicles were inspected, fined (challaned) or denied entry; and how the states coordinate on vehicles crossing state borders.
The court noted that stubble-burning cases have fallen sharply in the four states, but pollution from vehicles has risen sharply. It said the issue "warrants urgent and immediate intervention".
The states must also respond to suggestions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the amicus curiae (a lawyer who helps the court), and give a time-bound roadmap for stronger enforcement. The next hearing is on 23 November 2026.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy (Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme)
India's Vehicle Scrappage Policy is a national plan to remove old, unfit and polluting vehicles from the roads in a safe, organised way. Its official name is the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP). It decides when a vehicle has reached the end of its useful life, where it must be broken down (scrapped), and what reward the owner gets for giving it up. It works together with a separate set of age limits that courts have fixed for vehicles in Delhi-NCR.
The Supreme Court has asked Delhi and its neighbouring states how they are keeping over-age and non-compliant vehicles out of the NCR. The answer depends on the tools in this bridge: the NCR age limits, fitness testing, deregistration and scrapping of end-of-life vehicles. The court's demand for a time-bound roadmap is a push to make these rules work on the ground, especially for vehicles coming in from other states.
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) is a statutory body, created by a law of Parliament, that manages air pollution in Delhi-NCR and nearby areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It brings the Centre and these states onto one platform. Its directions are binding, so state bodies and officers must follow them.
The Supreme Court has asked Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to respond to the CAQM's suggestions on vehicle pollution. Because vehicles cross state borders every day, a body like the CAQM, which covers the whole region, is central to inter-state coordination.
Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Norms
Bharat Stage (BS) norms are the rules that fix the maximum amount of pollution a new vehicle may release from its exhaust in India. They limit gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and tiny soot particles called particulate matter. Each higher stage is stricter. A vehicle's BS level tells you which rules it was built to meet.
The court asked how the states identify vehicles that do not meet "prescribed emission standards" and how they enforce PUC certificates. BS norms decide what standard a vehicle was built to, and PUC checks whether it still meets its limits on the road. Both are at the heart of the enforcement the court wants.
- Supreme Court directions issued: 6 November 2026, in the suo motu case on Delhi-NCR air pollution
- Bench: Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana
- States asked to respond: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan (plus the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Police)
- Time to respond: two weeks; next hearing: 23 November 2026
- NCR age limits for vehicles: diesel 10 years, petrol 15 years (Supreme Court, 29 October 2018)
- Supreme Court order of 17 December 2025: action allowed against over-age vehicles below BS-IV
- Vehicle Scrappage Policy launched: 13 August 2021; road-tax concession up to 25% (private) and 15% (commercial)
- End-of-Life Vehicles Rules, 2025: in force from 1 April 2025 (EPR on vehicle makers)
- CAQM Act: 2021; directions under Section 12
- BS-VI nationwide: 1 April 2020 (BS-V skipped)