Supreme Court notice to Delhi government on Odd-Even

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Delhi government on a plea challenging the odd-even road rationing scheme in the national capital.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta also directed the Delhi government and the Central Pollution Control Board or CPCB to place before it the data of pollution in Delhi from October till November 14 this year. The bench also directed them to submit pollution data from October 1 to December 31, 2018.

The petition, filed by a Noida-based advocate, has alleged that the Delhi government's November 1 notification on the scheme also violates fundamental rights. It alleged that the odd-even rule violates citizens' rights to practice any profession, carry out any occupation, trade or business and to move freely throughout the country.

Delhi government's odd-even scheme this year came into effect on November 4 and will continue till November 15. Under the scheme, four-wheelers with registration numbers ending with odd digits ply on odd dates and those ending with even digits ply on even dates.

The plea had alleged that the scheme is arbitrary, contrary to statutory provisions and is nothing but a "political and vote bank gimmick". "The odd-even vehicle scheme violates the fundamental rights of residents of Delhi and adjoining states who daily commute in/out of Delhi in their four wheeled vehicles to do their jobs/business to earn their livelihood and is ultra vires Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India," the plea said.