Delhi High Court lets NCR lawyers and court staff drive older outside cars to court

The Delhi High Court has exempted lawyers and court staff who live in the National Capital Region from a rule that keeps older vehicles from outside Delhi off its roads in winter. The exemption applies on days when the courts sit. The order was reported in detail on 10 November.

Under a Delhi government notification of 23 June, vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet the BS-VI emission standard cannot enter the city. The rule runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. It is meant to cut winter air pollution.

Justice Amit Mahajan passed the order on 6 November, on a petition by the Delhi High Court Bar Association, Bar and Bench reported. The ban itself stays in force for everyone else.

The court observed that the authorities had not yet been able to show how vehicles that were not thought to add to pollution until October were suddenly treated as major polluters, The Hindu reported.

The bar association relied on a 2021 order that let advocates travel for court work when they showed their professional identity cards, LiveLaw reported.

What’s next

The court’s detailed order is expected to set out how the exemption will work, such as which documents lawyers and staff must carry.