Supreme Court Orders Strict Enforcement of Colour-Coded Stickers for Vehicles to Combat Delhi Pollution

Supreme Court Orders Implementation of Colour-Coded Stickers for Vehicles in NCR

On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the strict implementation of its 2018 order regarding the use of colour-coded stickers on vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) to combat pollution in Delhi.

A bench consisting of Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed NCR States to ensure that pollution control certificates (PUC) are not issued to vehicles without these stickers. The court emphasized that compliance with the sticker requirement is mandatory before any PUC can be granted.

The 2018 order specified that petrol and CNG vehicles should have light blue stickers, while diesel vehicles must display orange stickers. This regulation was initially supposed to be enforced by October 2, 2018.

In a recent modification to this order, the court stated that owners of vehicles registered on or after April 1, 2019, will face penalties if they fail to comply with the sticker directive. The states in NCR have been ordered to initiate actions under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 against non-compliant vehicle owners.

The court made it clear that the requirement for colour-coded stickers also applies to cars registered before April 1, 2019. It has directed NCR States to file an affidavit within one month, detailing how they plan to enforce the sticker regulations for older vehicles.

The Supreme Court’s decision highlights the urgent need for effective measures to tackle the pollution crisis in Delhi and reinforces the importance of compliance among vehicle owners.