On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court directed the state government to promptly release the subsidies assured to electric vehicle buyers, emphasizing that bureaucratic delays or procedural issues cannot be cited as excuses for withholding payments.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, observed that the government cannot take cover under the absence of a specified timeline in the 2020 Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy to delay the subsidy payments.
The court remarked that the government was attempting to justify the delay by pointing to the absence of a fixed timeline in the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy. However, it clarified that such reasoning cannot be accepted as a valid excuse.
The court observed that although the government had sufficient funds available, the release of subsidies was being unnecessarily held up due to procedural bottlenecks.
The court instructed the Delhi government’s transport department to quickly open a dedicated bank account for subsidy payments and to make sure that the dues are transferred to eligible beneficiaries without any more delays.
The matter arose from a PIL filed by the Jan Seva Welfare Society, which highlighted that many customers who purchased electric vehicles in Delhi were still awaiting their subsidy payments.
The petition argued that the prolonged delay in releasing subsidies was impacting thousands of people who had bought electric vehicles in Delhi, relying on the financial incentives promised under the 2020 policy.
According to the PIL, withholding subsidy payments has not only violated consumer rights but also weakened the larger public goal of encouraging clean mobility.