High Court favours Odd-Even rule in Delhi

The Delhi government got a shot in the arm when the High Court passed an order stating the road rationing policy would continue till January 15 as originally proposed and that they would not interfere in state policy.

"The implementation of the Odd-Even scheme may have caused hardship to a section of the society, however, the power of judicial review cannot be extended to determine the correctness of such a policy decision or to find out whether there could be more appropriate or better alternatives," the court said.

The AAP government's pilot project, the odd-even rule, that began on January 1 on a two-week basis came under heavy criticism and fire for it various exemptions and loopholes. Around 12 petitioners had jointly challenged the scheme and the various exceptions to no avail.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayanth Nath, however, observed that should the government plan re-introduce the scheme in the future, it must consider all the some of the issues raised by the petitioners.

There is some speculation that the current scheme will be tweaked and improved upon before it will come into effect again at an as yet undecided date. In the matter of petitioner Nipun Malhotra, who suffers from a congenital disorder called "Arthrogryposis," the court will hear his concerns over several issues about the impact of the policy on the rights of the disabled, and how the lack of facilities in the public transport system affect their ability to travel without difficulties on February 15.

In a statement released by the government, it has declared that the pollution levels in the national capital have dropped by 50% due to the policy. However, scientists from System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), who have been monitoring the pollution level on a 24 hour basis, claim that this can be largely attributed to clear weather and increase in wind speed.