Pay green cess to register diesel vehicles, says SC

"We are inclined to allow registration. We are open to the registration subject to some kind of one-time cess," a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi said.

Unveiling a slew of measures to curb alarming pollution level in Delhi and NCR, the apex court had on December 16 last year banned registration of diesel-run sports utility vehicles and high-end private cars with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above till March 31. Later, the ban on registration was extended till further orders.

During the hearing, the bench asked a battery of senior lawyers including Gopal Subramanium and Gopal Jain, appearing for automobile majors, to explore possibility of levy of green cess at the time of registration of diesel cars and SUVs.