Delhi High Court exempts NCR lawyers and court staff from non-BS-VI vehicle ban on court days

The Delhi High Court ruled on Friday, November 6, that advocates and judicial staff living in the National Capital Region (NCR) may drive vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards into the capital, but only on court working days. The exemption is limited to court working days and does not disturb the underlying ban.

Bar association sought the exemption

Justice Amit Mahajan passed the order on a petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association, which sought relief for advocates commuting to Delhi from Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad. The association made clear it was not seeking a blanket exemption from air-pollution curbs. The court noted that lawyers and judicial staff perform functions essential to keeping the courts running, and that the exemption is a limited arrangement; a detailed order is awaited.

Winter ban itself stays in force

The restriction comes from a notification dated June 23, 2026, issued by the Delhi government's Department of Environment and Forests, barring vehicles registered outside Delhi and below BS-VI standards from plying in the capital between November 1, 2026, and January 31, 2027, as part of winter anti-pollution measures. The court stressed that the exemption does not affect the ban itself, and the practical details — such as how eligible advocates and staff will establish their status at entry points — remain to be set by the authorities. On the same day, the Supreme Court, hearing Delhi's air-pollution case, described vehicle and construction bans as "old, tried, failed tools"; Delhi's air quality index stood at 391, with 30 of 59 monitoring stations recording severe pollution.

(Sources: Bar and Bench; India Legal; LawChakra.)