The Supreme Court on Wednesday suggested that authorities permit the registration of diesel SUVs and cars with engine capacity of 2,000CC and above in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), provided the owner of the vehicle pays a one-time environment cess.

“We are inclined to allow registration. We are open to the registration subject to some kind of one-time cess,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices AK Sikri and R Banumathi said.

Anti-pollution measures

Unveiling a slew of measures to combat pollution levels in Delhi and NCR, the apex court had on December 16, 2015 banned the registration of diesel-run sports utility vehicles and high-end private cars with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above till March 31. Later, the ban on registration was extended till further orders.

During the hearing, the Bench asked a battery of senior lawyers, including Gopal Subramanium and Gopal Jain, appearing for automobile majors Mercedes, Toyota, Mahindra and General Motors, to explore the possibility of levying a green cess at the time of registration of diesel cars and SUVs.

“Can you (lawyers for auto firms) ask your people to work out details as to what may be the cess to be levied on such vehicles with regard to showroom price, etc,” it said.

The lawyers said it was not an “adversarial” litigation and the cess can be worked out. “We will come out with a concrete proposal,” Jain said.

The bench also inquired about whether there was prescribed emission standards for diesel vehicles.

Subramanium said that EURO-IV emission norms are in place and that advanced fuel, currently available, would be needed to switch to the EURO-VI norm.

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