CURRENT AFFAIRS | 30 JUNE 2026
On 29 June 2026, the Delhi Cabinet approved EV Policy 2.0 — the most ambitious electric-vehicle transition plan any Indian state has attempted. The policy bans new CNG auto-rickshaw registrations from January 2027, mandates fully electric two-wheelers from April 2028, and backs these mandates with a ₹7,000-crore incentive package. For CLAT aspirants, this policy is a live intersection of environmental law, fundamental rights, and regulatory theory.
The policy is not merely an administrative circular — it is a legislative exercise of state police power aimed at reducing vehicular air pollution, which accounts for a significant share of Delhi’s dangerously poor air quality index. Two-wheelers alone contribute approximately 70–80% of vehicular emissions in urban Delhi. Any serious CLAT aspirant must read this policy through the lens of Articles 21, 48A, and 51A(g) of the Constitution, alongside three decades of Supreme Court environmental jurisprudence.
Article 48A (Directive Principles): The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country. While non-justiciable, it provides the constitutional foundation for state environmental regulation and has been read harmoniously with Part III by the Supreme Court.
Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duties): Every citizen has a duty to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures. Courts have used this duty to reinforce the State’s power to impose restrictions on polluting activities.
Article 21 — Right to Clean Air: In Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar (1991), the Supreme Court held that the right to live in a pollution-free environment is a part of the right to life under Article 21. In the landmark M.C. Mehta v. Union of India CNG case (1998), the Court directed Delhi to convert its entire bus fleet and autos to CNG to protect residents’ Article 21 right to breathe clean air — directly presaging Delhi EV Policy 2.0.
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM): Constituted under the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, CAQM has statutory authority to issue binding directions on vehicular emissions in Delhi-NCR. Its powers override state pollution control boards, making it the apex regulatory authority whose policy backdrop the EV Policy 2.0 complements.
The precautionary principle — one of the foundational doctrines of Indian environmental law — holds that where there is a risk of serious or irreversible harm, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation. The Supreme Court in Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India (1996) incorporated the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle into Indian law as part of customary international law, noting that they had become part of the environmental law of the land. Delhi EV Policy 2.0 directly operationalises the precautionary principle: rather than waiting for the complete collapse of air quality, the state is mandating a phased transition.
CLAT’s Legal Reasoning section tests your ability to apply legal principles to novel fact patterns. Delhi EV Policy 2.0 is tailor-made for such questions. Consider: a petrol two-wheeler manufacturer challenges the April 2028 registration ban as violating their right to carry on trade under Article 19(1)(g). The state will invoke Article 19(6) (reasonable restrictions in public interest) and the M.C. Mehta CNG precedent to defend the policy.
CLAT examiners also love the tension between Directive Principles (Arts 48A, 51A) and Fundamental Rights (Arts 19, 21) — and how courts resolve it. The Minerva Mills doctrine establishes that harmony between Part III and Part IV is a basic feature; you cannot sacrifice one entirely for the other. The EV policy strikes this balance by providing financial incentives rather than imposing an outright immediate ban.
The GK section may test specific facts: the effective date (July 1, 2026), the two-wheeler deadline (April 1, 2028), the auto-rickshaw deadline (January 1, 2027), the road-tax waiver ceiling (₹30 lakh), and the cash incentive quantum (₹30,000 for two-wheelers, ₹50,000 for autos). These are high-probability one-liners in both CLAT UG and AILET.
The polluter-pays principle complements the policy’s incentive architecture. Under this principle, those who cause environmental harm bear the financial burden of remediation and prevention. By channelling over ₹7,000 crore into subsidies, the Delhi government is effectively deploying public revenue to accelerate a transition that is constitutionally mandated — an inversion of the classical polluter-pays logic, but one that the Supreme Court in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India has repeatedly endorsed when dealing with entrenched, diffuse pollution sources like vehicular traffic.
A quick-reference table for the CLAT preparation room wall:
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date of Approval | 29 June 2026 (Delhi Cabinet) |
| Effective Date | 1 July 2026 |
| CNG Auto Ban (new registrations) | 1 January 2027 |
| Petrol/CNG Two-Wheeler Ban | 1 April 2028 |
| Road-Tax Waiver (4-wheelers) | 100% waiver up to ₹30 lakh vehicle cost |
| Cash Incentive — Two-Wheelers | Up to ₹30,000 (Year 1) |
| Cash Incentive — Autos | Up to ₹50,000 |
| Total Budget Commitment | ₹7,000+ crore over 4 years |
| Key Constitutional Articles | Arts 21, 48A, 51A(g), 19(1)(g), 19(6) |
| Apex Regulatory Body | Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) |
| Two-Wheeler Share of Emissions | ~70–80% of Delhi vehicular emissions |
Understanding the CAQM is critical for CLAT aspirants. The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 established CAQM as a statutory body with powers to supersede orders of state governments and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on matters related to air quality in the NCR. This creates a federal dimension — the Centre, through CAQM, has overriding power even over Delhi’s state-level EV policy if the Commission issues a stricter direction. This tension between Union and State authority over environmental regulation is a favourite CLAT legal reasoning theme.
The “EV-ACT” Formula for Delhi EV Policy 2.0:
E — Electric mandate dates: Autos by Jan 2027 → Two-wheelers by Apr 2028
V — Vellore + Subhash Kumar: Two pillars of India’s environmental rights jurisprudence
A — Article 21 + 48A + 51A(g): The constitutional trinity behind any green policy
C — CAQM controls NCR air: Overrides state boards, binding on Delhi
T — ₹7,000 crore + tax waiver = Transition economics
Also remember: M.C. Mehta CNG case (1998) → buses went CNG → Delhi EV Policy 2.0 (2026) → two-wheelers go electric. The doctrinal arc is the same; the transport mode changed.
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Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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