Rs 8 lakh fine for petition challenging Delhi’s diesel and petrol car ban by SC

The ban on 15-year old petrol-powered vehicles and 10-year old diesel-powered vehicles in Delhi was introduced as a radical move to curb the alarming pollution levels in the national capital of the country. However, at the same time, it also brought despair among the owners of such cars, who unwillingly have to part ways with their cars. A petitioner tried to move to the Supreme Court of India to seek a stop to this ban, however, this move, in turn, cost him a lot.

A bench of justices in the Supreme Court, including L Nageswara Rao, AS Bopanna and BR Gavai, listened to the plea of a petitioner named Anurag Saxena, who himself is a practitioner in the Supreme Court, seeking a stop to the ban on 15-year old petrol-powered vehicles and 10-year old diesel-powered vehicles in Delhi. However, instead of putting a brake on this ban, the bench of justices imposed a fine of Rs 8 lakh on the petitioner.

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Court banned petitioner

Apart from imposing this fine, the bench of justices also ordered not to register any further writ petitions on this matter and any other petition from Anurag Saxena in the future, who was penalized before the Supreme Court. In its statement, the bench of justices stated that two advocates tried to enter this misadventure of filing a petition on this ban despite a prior warning. It is the reason why the petitioner, who was one among those two advocates, has been penalized with Rs 8 lakh.

In his PIL before the Supreme Court of India, Saxena contended the ban on 15-year old petrol-powered vehicles and 10-year old diesel-powered vehicles in Delhi, stating that it violates Article 14 of the constitution. He challenged why this rule is applicable only in New Delhi, and not in other parts of India. The bench of justices assigned to look into this matter rejected the plea, citing the reason that this particular issue is already covered under the orders of the National Green Tribunal.

The revolutionary law of ban on 15-year old petrol-powered vehicles and 10-year old diesel-powered vehicles in Delhi was introduced in 2018 by the Supreme Court of India. In its order, the top court of the country mandated the Transport Department of Delhi for a complete ban on plying of 10-year old diesel vehicles and 15-year old petrol vehicles on the roads within Delhi and the National Capital Region. Due to this law, many car owners had to part ways with their old cars forcefully to avoid fines and punishments.

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