Registration of select BS 4 diesel vehicles purchased before April 1 allowed

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the registration of BS 4 diesel vehicles purchased before April 1 that are to be used in essential public services and public utility services by Municipal Corporations and the Delhi Police.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde ordered that such diesel vehicles purchased before April 1 that are to be used for essential public utility services will be registered as per BS 4 norms and BS 6 vehicles purchased after April 1 will be registered as per BS 6 norms.

The bench also allowed the registration of CNG vehicles subject to the compliance of all rules and regulations. The apex court, in its order, noted that applications were filed before the bench for registration of three kind vehicles -- CNG vehicles,BS 4, and BS 6 vehicles.

The bench said those BS 4 diesel vehicles purchased by Municipal Corporations before April 1 and are used by essential services like garbage lifting and public utilities will be registered as per BS 4 norms.

Earlier in March, an application was filed by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) seeking the extension of sale and registration of BS 4 vehicles for a month.

The FADA, while approaching the top court, had sought an extension of the March 31 deadline for the sale of BS 4 vehicles on grounds of the loss of sales due to the lockdown imposed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The FADA had also cited large possible bankruptcies, jobs at stake. In March, the bench had thereby relaxed the March 31 deadline to clear the unsold stock of BS 4 vehicles.

It had allowed 10 per cent of the unsold BS-IV vehicles to be sold within 10 days of the end of the lockdown due to Covid-19.

This scenario developed as such because India decided to switch to the world's cleanest emissions standard from April 1. It has gone straight to Euro 6 emission standards from Euro 4.