A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi Government’s policy for mandatory scrapping of old vehicles.

Petitioner N Laxmi Narayan contended that mandatory scrapping of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles irrespective of their roadworthiness under the Guidelines for Handling End of Life Vehicle in Public Place, 2024 was arbitrary.

The guidelines are based on an order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2015 that was upheld by the Supreme Court.

However, Narayan submitted that “The retrospective application of the guidelines to vehicles is arbitrary, violates the applicant’s legitimate expectation, and deprives the applicant of their right to property under Article 300A of the Constitution.”

The scrapping rules were being applied without due consideration of vehicles’ actual emissions or condition, causing undue hardship to owners, he pointed out. Well-maintained vehicles should not be taken off the roads, he said.