Delhi HC exempts lawyers, court staff in NCR from ban on non-BS VI vehicles

The Delhi High Court on Friday said lawyers and court staff would be exempted from the travel restriction imposed on non-Delhi-registered pre-BS-VI vehicles by the city administration. Justice Amit Mahajan passed the order on a petition by the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA). The judge said the exemption would be applicable on court working days. Citing pollution concerns, the Delhi government had, on June 23, decided to ban the entry of all outside motor vehicles that do not meet BS-VI emission standards into the capital from November 1 to January 31. DHCBA's petition sought directions seeking exemption for vehicles "lawfully used by advocates residing in the NCR and travelling to Delhi for bona fide professional duties". The DHCBA president, senior advocate N Hariharan, submitted that a large number of advocates travelled to courts in Delhi from NCR regions, which includes Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, for performing "judicial functions", and therefore, thei