Pending traffic dues must be cleared to obtain PUCC: Orissa High Court

Cuttack(By Abhishek Mohanty): The Orissa High Court has ordered that vehicle owners cannot be issued a Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) unless all pending traffic challans linked to the vehicle are cleared.

The ruling came while the court was disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning enforcement of PUCC norms. Citing provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989—particularly Section 167(12)—the court clarified that the existence of any unpaid challan renders a vehicle ineligible for issuance or renewal of a PUCC.

Advocate General Pitambara Acharya appeared on behalf of the state government during the proceedings.

The court also took note of earlier policy decisions by transport authorities. On December 20, 2025, the State Transport Authority (STA) had issued an order making possession of a valid PUCC compulsory for purchasing fuel at petrol pumps. 

However, the state government later informed the High Court through an affidavit filed in January this year that the “No PUCC, No Fuel” directive had been withdrawn.