Supreme Court Bans Registration of BS-IV Vehicles

The deadline for registration of BS4 vehicles was 31 March, however it was relaxed due to COVID-19

Representative image.

(Photo: Reuters)

The apex court on Friday, 31 July, banned the registration of BS-IV vehicles in the country, till further notice. Only vehicles that meet BS-VI emission standards were to be sold from 1 April, 2020.

The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on 13 August, reported PTI.

While BS-VI norms came into effect from April, the SC had on 8 July reportedly withdrawn its 27 March order, under which it had permitted the sale of BS-IV vehicles for 10 days after the first phase of the lockdown ended, except in Delhi-NCR.

In the March order, the bench had given this extension to clear 10 percent of the unsold inventory after the lockdown.

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) had moved the court, seeking relaxation on this deadline. In a plea before the court, the association urged the court to extend the deadline for the sale of their unsold inventory, as the sales have gone dead amid coronavirus scare besides the ongoing economic slowdown in the country.

It cited the possibility of large bankruptcies and loss of jobs if the inventory is unsold. Earlier, in February, the SC had rejected FADA’s first plea seeking extension of the 31 March deadline.

The bench on Friday, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, also reportedly expressed its displeasure over the large number of vehicles that were sold in March during the lockdown that was announced because of the coronavirus pandemic.