Only BS-VI compliant vehicles from March 2020, orders SC
NEW DELHI: Automobile companies were on Wednesday barred by the Supreme Court from manufacturing and selling vehicles that aren’t compliant with Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission standards after March 31, 2020. The health of teeming millions will have to take precedence over “the greed of a few automobile manufacturers”, the court said in the order.
The bench led by justice MB Lokur rejected a request by the automobile industry to give it a window of three months beyond the deadline to dispose of their stock of BS-IV vehicles.
It took the view that manufacturers were not willing to comply not because they did not have the technology, but because the switch would lead to an increase in the cost of vehicles and that might lead to lower sales and ultimately hurt profits. “There can be no compromise with the health of the citizens and if one has to choose between health and wealth, keeping in view the expanded scope of Article 21(liberty) of the Constitution, health of the teeming millions of this country will have to take precedence over the greed of a few automobile manufacturers. The automobile manufacturers must behave responsibly,” the bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and SA Nazeer, said.
If vehicles comply with the emission norms, there will be a 68% improvement in PM 2.5 lev-
SC REJECTED A REQUEST BY AUTOMAKERS FOR A THREE MONTHS WINDOW BEYOND THE DEADLINE TO DISPOSE BSIV VEHICLES
els that measure air quality, the court said, reiterating that Right to Life includes the right to a decent and a clean environment.
“If there is a conflict between health and wealth, obviously, health will have to be given precedence. When we are concerned with the health of not one citizen but the entire citizenry including the future citizens of the country, the larger public interest has to outweigh the much smaller pecuniary interest of the industry, in this case the automobile industry, especially when the entire wherewithal to introduce the cleaner technology exists,” the court said.
There is no economic sense in having more polluting vehicles on the roads as the effect of pollution on the environment and human health cannot be compensated for by the marginal extra profits the manufacturer will make.
The contention raised by auto companies that there are multiple sources of pollution besides vehicular emissions was rejected. “No step is too small when it comes to fighting pollution,” the court said.
In 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government decided to move the country up to BS-VI norms from BS-IV standards by 2020, skipping an intermediate level, concerned about vehicular emissions that are damaging air quality and exposing citizens to health risks.