PILs Challenging Odd-Even Scheme: Delhi HC Directs Delhi Govt To Consider Petitioners' Representations

Delhi High Court has disposed off all the petitions challenging the Odd-Even scheme of the Delhi Government. The scheme was proposed to curb vehicular pollution in the capital city. 

The Division Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Hari Shankar has directed the Delhi Government to consider all the said petitions as representation made before it and deal with the same as per law. 

These petitions had challenged the scheme on the following grounds:

1. Exemption of CNG vehicles is invalid. Section 15 of Motor Vehicles Act is sufficient to deal with any possible misuse of the scheme by users of CNG vehicles. It was also argued that in the earlier versions of the scheme, private CNG vehicles were exempted. 

2. Exemption of women from the scheme violates Article 14 of the Constitution as the said distinction is unreasonable and arbitrary

3. There's a disparity in days allowed for even and odd days. There's no reasonable justification given for such disparity. 

The court at the outset had mentioned that no stay well be imposed on the scheme. 

The court also directed the Delhi Government to consider the concerns of Indraprastha Gas Limited while deciding upon the representations made before it. The said representations have to be decided by November 5. 

The Odd-Even scheme will be in operation from November 4 to November 15.