No BS-IV vehicles to be registered before deciding on their sale during lockdown, says SC

The Court has asked automobile dealers association for details of sale of vehicles through online or direct sale during the period.

The Court pulled up the automobile dealers association by saying that BS-IV vehicles were sold during the lockdown in the last week of March and after March 31 also. File

The Supreme Court on Friday directed that no BS-IV vehicles will be registered with the authorities till it decides the issue of sale of such vehicles during the lockdown period.

During a brief hearing conducted through videoconferencing on Friday, a Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra passed the directive.

The Bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, asked the automobile dealers association to place before it the details of vehicles sold either online or through direct sale during the lockdown period in the last week of March.

The Bench said it needed to verify the details regarding the sale and registration of BS-4 vehicles during the lockdown period.

The Supreme Court was earlier irked over the violation of its order and had pulled up the automobile dealers association by saying that BS-IV vehicles were sold during the lockdown in the last week of March and after March 31 also.

 

The Bench had on July 8 recalled the March 27 order by which it had allowed sale of BS-IV vehicles for 10 days across India, except in Delhi-NCR, after lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The relief, which was later withdrawn, to permit sale of the BS-IV vehicles for a small window period after lifting of the lockdown was granted to the dealers by the Supreme Court keeping in mind the fact that the country had decided not to allow their sale after March 2020.

“You are in great trouble. We will prosecute somebody,” the Bench told the counsel appearing for the dealers association.

“We will take appropriate action against these fellows,” the Bench said while referring to the surge in the number of vehicles sold especially on March 29, 30 and 31. The Bench has now posted the matter for further hearing on August 13.

The Court had on July 24 expressed displeasure over an oral plea by the automobile dealers association that dealers should be allowed to return unsold inventory of BS-IV vehicles to the manufacturers so that they could be exported to other countries.

The association had said that there are some countries where sale of BS-IV compliant vehicles were still allowed.

However, the Bench had said: “Why should we pass orders for that? Manufacturers were aware of the deadline.”

Published - July 31, 2020 01:23 pm IST