CUTTACK: The state government on Tuesday informed the Orissa High Court that it has withdrawn its earlier directive asking oil marketing companies to deny fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).
The submission was made through an affidavit filed in response to a PIL challenging the legality of the directive. The PIL was filed by Bhubaneswar resident Snigdha Patra, who argued that the instruction issued to oil marketing companies on December 20, 2025, was unlawful. The petitioner was represented by advocate Ranjan Kumar Rout.
The high court had taken cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the state government on January 6. During the hearing on Tuesday, counsel appearing for the State Transport Authority (STA) contended that under Rule 167(2) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, the authority was empowered to deny issuance of PUCCs to vehicles that had not complied with challans issued for traffic violations.
However, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman rejected the argument, holding that the Rules do not envisage any such restriction linked to pending challans. The bench ruled that denial of PUCC on this ground had no legal basis.
The court subsequently directed the STA to issue a formal notification clarifying that PUCCs must be issued even if vehicles have pending challans. It also ordered the authority to rectify the Vahan portal to ensure that PUCCs are not denied for the same reason. The STA was further instructed to file an affidavit detailing compliance with the court’s directions. The matter is scheduled to be taken up again on February 3.