Delhi High Court exempts NCR advocates, court staff from non-BS-VI vehicle ban

The Delhi High Court on Friday, 6 November 2026, allowed advocates and court staff living in the National Capital Region (NCR) to drive vehicles that do not meet BS-VI emission norms into Delhi on court working days, despite the pollution curbs that bar such vehicles from entering the city until 31 January 2027. Justice Amit Mahajan passed the interim order on a petition by the Delhi High Court Bar Association, observing that assisting the court in judicial work is an essential duty. The relief applies to vehicles carrying a valid parking sticker issued by a Delhi bar association.

To fight winter air pollution, the authorities have barred vehicles from outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI norms from entering the city until 31 January 2027. BS-VI, or Bharat Stage VI, is the emission standard that newer vehicles in India are built to meet. The curbs carry exemptions for essential services, and the question before the court was whether lawyers and court employees should be treated the same way.

The court said they should, at least for now. "Prima facie, in the opinion of this Court, the function of assisting the Court for discharge of judicial work is also an essential duty and at times, can be emergent in nature as well," the court observed. It reasoned that courts cannot work smoothly without advocates and staff, and that no alternative transport arrangement had been put forward by the government.

The ruling shows the balance courts are being asked to strike between clean-air measures and the daily movement of people whose work is treated as essential. It is narrow: it does not lift the curbs for the public, it applies only on court working days, and it is tied to bar association parking stickers, which limits it to people verified through the legal system.

Peepals timeline: Under the winter pollution curbs, non-BS-VI vehicles from outside Delhi were barred from entering the city from 1 November 2026, with the restriction set to run until 31 January 2027. The Delhi High Court Bar Association then moved the High Court seeking relief for NCR-based lawyers and court staff. On 6 November 2026, Justice Amit Mahajan granted an interim exemption for court working days, covering the rest of the curb period.

Short-term: NCR-based lawyers and court staff whose cars are older than BS-VI can drive to court in Delhi on working days without being stopped under the curbs, provided their car has a bar association sticker.

Long-term: The order may prompt other professional groups to seek similar exemptions, and it will be watched for whether the court keeps the relief in place when the case is heard further. It also adds to questions about how far essential-service exemptions should stretch while Delhi's air quality stays poor.

Who is affected: Advocates and court staff commuting from Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and other NCR towns; traffic enforcement staff at Delhi's borders; and Delhi residents concerned about winter air quality.

What to watch next: Further hearings in the Delhi High Court Bar Association's petition, and the end of the curb period on 31 January 2027.

Questions and Answers