Chandigarh’s electric vehicle policy comes under Punjab and Haryana High Court scanner

Chandigarh, February 14

The UT Administration’s electric vehicle policy has come under judicial scanner with the filing of a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association of India. The plea is yet to come up for hearing.

Among other things, the federation submitted it was filing the petition challenging the Electric Vehicle Policy, 2022, introduced by the UT Administrator and being implemented through an impugned press note “setting mandatory limits and capping the sale and registration of the non-electric vehicles in the city”.

Describing it as illegal, the petitioner further submitted it was also arbitrary and violative of the Constitution of India. The petitioner-federation through senior advocate Amit Jhanji with counsel Gurpartap Singh Bullar, Nikita Garg and Sachit Singla also submitted the action was in “abhorrence of statutory provisions of law, especially the provisions of The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1898”.

The petitioner added the UT Administration issued the policy in collaboration with the Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society, whereby targets were set for registration of EVs “without any rational nexus with the object sought to be achieved”.

A comparison of various “incentive mechanisms” introduced in different states reflected the policy was applied in a phased manner through various public bodies, or through aggregators/ delivery service providers. Yet, nothing in specific had been provided in the Chandigarh Industrial Policy, 2015, for facilitating manufacture of EVs.

A set of proposals and suggestions dated June 10, 2022, were duly submitted to the authorities concerned in the matter. A representation dated February 11 was also submitted again to emphasise “inputs and suggestions of the stakeholders”. But the impugned notification dated September 20, 2022, was issued notifying the EV policy whereby unreasonable and illegal standards were set for sale and registration of internal combustion engine vehicles. “Adding on the miseries of the dealers and the consumers was a press note issued by the office of respondent-Registering and Licensing Authority, whereby it was informed no non-electric two-wheelers could be sold on or after February 10,” it was added. — TNS

Auto dealers term it illegal, arbitrary

• Federation of Automobile Dealers Association of India has moved HC claiming policy is arbitrary and violative of Constitution
• Move is against statutory provisions of law, especially The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1898, it says
• Unreasonable and illegal standards set for sale and registration of internal combustion engine vehicles, the petitioner contends