NGT orders Volkswagen to pay Rs 100 crore by tomorrow in emission case

The matter is the fallout of a 2015 emission scandal, where Volkswagen was found to have used ‘deceit devices’ in its vehicles which allowed the emission of the polluting Nitrous Oxide well over the prescribed pollution emission standards.

The same year, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) found that in India, the tested Volkswagen vehicles emitted pollutants five to nine times in excess of the permitted levels.

As a result of the alleged violation of pollution control norms, various private petitioners, including school teacher Saloni Ailawadi approached the NGT for a ban on the vehicles by the German manufacturer.

After hearing the matter at length, on November 16, 2018, an NGT Bench headed by Chairperson AK Goel had directed Volkswagen to deposit an amount of Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within a month.

By the same order, the NGT had also constituted a panel comprising representatives of the CPCB, the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the ARAI and NEERI to examine the ARAI report and submit its opinion on it. The expert panel recently concluded that Volkswagen was liable to pay Rs 171 crore for the air pollution caused by its over-emissions.

Volkswagen challenged the NGT directions before the Supreme Court. However, the NGT-directed time period to pay up the said deposit originally expired on December 15, 2018 and there was no extension of the said period by the Supreme Court.