Supreme Court bans sale of BS-III vehicles from April 1, allows registration of vehicles sold before March 31

The Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed a ban on sale of BS-III vehicles from April 1 when the Bharat Stage (BS)-IV emission norms for vehicles will come in force.

The Supreme Court also clarified that no new BS-III registration will be allowed April 1 onwards. However, BS-III vehicles sold prior to March 31 will be allowed to register and will need to have proof of sale date for those vehicles.

The apex court said that the auto companies were aware of the notification, yet decided to sit back. It added it is important for the industry to move away from commercial losses and focus on environment norms given hazardous pollution condition.

As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) data, industry has inventory of 8.2 lakh BS-III vehicles. Of this, 96,000 are BS-III commercial vehicles and 6 lakh plus two-wheelers. The industry also has 40,000 BS-III vehicles. The inventory value of these vehicles stands at Rs 12,000 crore.

The ban could lead to estimated losses of Rs 20,000-30,000 crore for the industry, according to SIAM.

According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) data, nearly 20,000 dealers will be impacted financially due to the ban. Dealers tend to keep stock of vehicles with them and sell them when the demand for them rises.

Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto said that the judgment is shocking. The unsold inventory would be diverted to the overseas market. While there will be pain in business, the decision is positive for the country. "A just cause never fails," he told CNBC-TV18.

This is a signal that things are changing and something more from the industry is expected, Bajaj said.

Vinod Dasari of SIAM said that while ban on sale won’t impact much, ban on registration would be more severe as vehicles sold in last 1-2 months won’t be able to do registeration in two days.

BS III production rose after demonetisation, when it ideally should have been reduced and knowing the BS-IV timeline.

FADA, earlier, had asked its vehicle makers to take back their unsold inventory of BS-III vehicles in case the Supreme Court puts a ban on sale.

After March 31, India will switch to BS-IV fuel across the country. The shift to BS-IV ensures that auto industry will move to BS-VI by 2020. Concerns over alarming rise in pollution level had prompted the transport ministry to announce early shift to BS-IV last year.

BS-IV vehicles have 80 percent less particulate matter (PM) and 50 percent less NOx emissions, according to a research finding.