New Delhi: Two luxury cars – a BMW and an Audi – are at the center of a major legal battle, challenging a rule that treats a vehicle’s age as its end. These cars, still running smoothly on Delhi roads, have now become symbols of protest against the government’s strict policy that automatically scraps vehicles after 10 or 15 years, regardless of their condition.
As soon as the owners found out their prized cars were being labeled as “junk” just because of their age, they pleaded with the Delhi government for relief. When their requests fell on deaf ears, they knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court.
Their petition? A heartfelt plea:
“Dear Judge, our cars are perfectly fine. Why are we being punished?”
“We Paid Taxes, Passed Pollution Checks – Then Why This?”
The owners argue they have followed every rule – paid road taxes on time, kept pollution certificates updated, and passed fitness tests. Yet, their cars are being forcibly removed from the roads just because they’re over a decade old.
Arun Kumar Singh, the BMW owner whose car is a 2011 model, said in his petition that according to the Motor Vehicles Act, it’s not a car’s age, but its fitness and emission levels that should decide whether it’s roadworthy.
He claims his vehicle meets all the necessary technical standards, yet it’s being pushed off the road unfairly.
Nagalakshmi Lakshmi Narayanan, who owns the Audi, first tried reaching out to the Delhi government but got no response. Left with no choice, she also went to the Supreme Court.
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What About the Rest of the World?
The petition also brings up global examples from the US, Japan, and Europe, where cars aren’t scrapped just because they’re old. Instead, they follow an inspection-based renewal system – if the car is safe and non-polluting, it’s allowed to run even for 20 years.
The car owners argue that in a country like India, where buying a car is a huge investment for most people, such blanket bans based only on age are unfair and financially harsh.
Supreme Court to Hear Case Monday
The case will now be heard by a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India this Monday. The court is expected to ask both the central and state governments why vehicles are being scrapped solely based on age, without considering their condition.
This verdict won’t just affect the future of two luxury cars – it could impact millions of vehicle owners across Delhi-NCR, where such rules have left many frustrated.
The Big Question: Does Age Really Define a Car’s Worth?
This case has sparked a much bigger debate – can the government ignore a car’s actual condition and make decisions purely based on age? The petitioners believe that regular fitness and pollution tests should be enough to keep the roads safe – without harsh restrictions based only on the car’s date of birth.
In the coming days, the Supreme Court’s decision could change how India looks at vehicle rules. And maybe, just maybe, the focus will shift from “how old is your car?” to “how healthy is it?”
