Supreme Court grants relief to owners of old petrol and diesel cars, halts punishment

The No Fuel for Old Vehicles policy was put into effect by the Delhi government in July 2025. It was decided to stop providing fuel to older cars at gas stations under this policy. But this policy was halted in just two days due to public opposition.

New Delhi: Supreme Court provided significant relief to owners of gasoline and diesel cars that are 15 and 10 years old today on Tuesday. The owners of these vehicles will not face any form of punishment or coercion, the court stated.

The ruling was made at the hearing of the Delhi governments appeal against the ban on outdated automobiles. The matter will now be heard by the court in four weeks. The case was heard by a bench including Justices Vinod K Chandran and NV Anjaria led by Chief Justice BR Gavai.

On the Delhi governments plea the court sent notice to both the Central and Delhi governments requesting a response within four weeks. Until then owners of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old gasoline vehicles will not be subject to coercive action because of the age of their vehicles. The CJI added, earlier cars had a 40–50 year lifespan. Older vehicles are still in use.

The Supreme Court received a petition from the Delhi government contesting the prohibition on end-of-life vehicles which are defined as diesel and gasoline vehicles that are 10 and 15 years old respectively. The government claims that there is no scientific basis for the ban. The Delhi government contended that the vehicles pollution levels should be examined rather than their age.

The government also insisted that a comprehensive study of the environmental effects of this ban be carried out by the central government and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

No Fuel For Older Cars

The No Fuel for Old Vehicles policy was put into effect by the Delhi government in July 2025. It was decided to stop providing fuel to older cars at gas stations under this policy. But this policy was halted in just two days due to public opposition.

The Delhi government acknowledged that there were a number of issues with the bans implementation including a lack of infrastructure and logistics.

Later on November 1 2025 the CAQM issued an order to cease fueling outdated cars in Delhi-NCR. The Delhi government said the ban was imposed without any scientific justification and appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

In 2015 the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned diesel vehicles older than ten years and gasoline vehicles older than fifteen years in an effort to improve Delhis air quality. The Supreme Court upheld this decision in 2018.

The Delhi government however stated that following the introduction of the new Bharat Stage VI emission standards a total ban on outdated automobiles is not required. The government contends that this ban will disproportionately impact middle-class and lower-class individuals who rely on outdated automobiles.