Delhi High Court orders immediate release of electric vehicle subsidies amid procedural delays, ETGovernment

Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Delhi govt to take immediate steps to release subsidies promised to electric vehicle (EV) buyers and said procedural hurdles cannot be used as a pretext to delay payments.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted govt cannot “take shield” behind the absence of a prescribed timeline for subsidy disbursal in Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy of 2020.

“Govt is taking shield of the fact that the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy does not provide any fixed timeline for disbursal of subsidy. Such a ground, in our opinion, is not available for the govt,” the court observed, noting that the govt has the required funds, but the delay was due to procedural issues such as opening of bank account.

It directed the transport department to expeditiously set up a dedicated bank account for subsidy payments and ensure the release of funds to eligible beneficiaries without any further delay.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Jan Seva Welfare Society, which claimed that numerous EV buyers in Delhi did not receive subsidies. The petition said these delays were directly affecting consumers who purchased EVs on the assurance of financial support under the 2020 policy. Non-payment, the PIL said, undermined consumer rights and the broader public interest of promoting clean mobility.

“The authorities’ inaction constituted a violation of constitutional guarantees and infringed Article 14 by acting arbitrarily and discriminatorily vis-a-vis the eligible beneficiaries and violated Article 21 by impeding citizens’ right to a clean and healthy environment,” it added.

As per the petition, non-payment of subsidy was a setback to environmental commitments, discouraging the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and undermining efforts to reduce vehicular pollution.

• Published On Sep 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM IST

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