The Delhi High Court has directed the city government to immediately release subsidies promised to electric vehicle (EV) buyers, holding that procedural hurdles and gaps in the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy, 2020, cannot be used to justify delays.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said the government could not “take shield” behind the absence of a prescribed timeline for subsidy disbursal in the policy.
“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,” the court observed.
The judges noted that funds were available but disbursement was stalled due to procedural issues. They ordered the Transport Department to urgently open a dedicated bank account for subsidy payments and ensure the release of funds to all eligible beneficiaries “without any further delay.”
The directions came while hearing a PIL filed by Jan Seva Welfare Society, which alleged that numerous EV buyers in Delhi had not received subsidies promised under the 2020 policy. The petition said these delays were harming thousands of consumers who purchased EVs on the assurance of financial support, and undermining public interest in promoting clean mobility.
The bench stressed that the state’s commitment to sustainable transport required timely fulfilment of its subsidy promises, and that administrative processes should facilitate — not obstruct — consumer benefits.
