The Delhi High Court on Friday said that advocates and judicial staff residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be exempt from the winter ban on plying vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards — but only on court working days.

Source: LiveLaw

Justice Amit Mahajan passed the order on a petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA). A detailed order is awaited, Bar and Bench and LiveLaw reported.

Source: Bar and Bench

The restriction was imposed through a notification dated June 23, 2026, issued by the Department of Environment and Forests of the Government of NCT of Delhi. It prohibits vehicles registered outside Delhi and below BS-VI standards from plying in the national capital between November 1 and January 31, as part of measures against winter air pollution.

The DHCBA had sought permission for advocates living in Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to travel to Delhi in their vehicles for professional work between November 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027. It proposed a regulated exemption under which each eligible advocate could use one nominated vehicle, subject to verification of professional identity, vehicle documents and a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate. Senior Advocate N. Hariharan appeared for the lawyers' body, and the petition was filed through advocate Amit Choudhary, LiveLaw reported.

Friday's order does not lift the ban itself. It carves out a limited relief for the lawyers and court staff whose daily work keeps the courts running, confined to court working days, while the wider anti-pollution restrictions — including the GRAP curbs now in force in Delhi-NCR — remain in place. The detailed order is expected to set out the conditions on which the exemption will operate.