The Special Protection Group (SPG), which protects the Prime Minister, on Friday,  moved the Supreme Court (SC) challenging an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which refused to allow extension of registration period of three specialised armoured vehicles by five years. The matter came before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, which took objection that the elite force approached the NGT for registration of its vehicle instead of moving the top court in the MC Mehta matter.

The SC has been monitoring the air pollution crisis in Delhi in an ongoing Public Interest Litigation in the MC Mehta case. Appearing for the SPG, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, urged the Bench to consider the matter on an urgent basis and sought extension of registration period citing importance of the vehicles. Tushar Mehta said these vehicles are an essential and integral part of Special Protection Group technical logistics.

The Bench converted the matter in an interlocutory application and posted the matter for hearing on December 16. The NGT on March 22 had refused to grant the relief, saying such vehicles being diesel vehicles cannot be permitted to ply in the National Capital Region (NCR)  on completion of 10 years. “We are conscious of the fact that these three vehicles are special purpose vehicles which are not normally available and these vehicles have run very less in the last 10 years and are needed for the specific purpose of security of the prime minister but in view of the order of the Supreme Court dated October 29, 2018, the prayer made in the M.A. Cannot be granted,” the NGT had said.

The SC in its October 29, 2018 order had banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the roads of Delhi-NCR. The Special Protection Group (SPG) was raised in 1985 with the intention to provide proximate security cover to the PM, former PMs and their immediate family members.