Delhi HC directs govt to disburse subsidies promised to EV buyers

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Delhi government to take immediate steps to disburse the subsidies promised to customers for buying electric vehicles 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 the government cannot hide behind the fact that the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy of 2020 does not prescribe any timeline to disburse the amount.

"The government 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 government," it said.


The bench noted that the government had funds but it was delaying disbursal owing to procedural issues.

It directed the transport department of the Delhi government to expeditiously set up a dedicated bank account for the disbursal of the subsidy amount and ensure subsidies were released to eligible beneficiaries without any further delay.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Jan Seva Welfare Society, which claimed several such customers who bought EVs in Delhi hadn't received subsidies.

The plea claimed the delay in subsidy disbursal was directly affecting thousands of individuals who purchased electric vehicles in Delhi with the assurance of financial support under the 2020 policy.

Non-payment, the PIL said, had undermined consumer rights and the broader public interest of promoting clean mobility.