Supreme Court has lifted the ban on registration of luxurious vehicles having engine capacity of 2000cc and above in Delhi and NCR. However, the apex court has imposed a green cess of one per cent of the ex-showroom price of such cars.<br/><br/>The apex court vacated the embargo on registration of such vehicles after taking on record the affidavits of some car makers and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) offering to deposit one per cent of the price of the vehicles as Environment Protection Charge (EPC) before the registration.<br/><br/>A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur said the one per cent amount, charged as EPC, shall be paid to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which will open a separate account with a scheduled public sector bank. The apex court said that the registration of the vehicle will be done by Regional Transport Officer on the satisfaction that one per cent of the cost of the vehicle has been deposited with CPCB by the vehicle manufacturers or dealers or sub-dealers.<br/><br/>However, it left open for adjudication the Centre's opposition that such a charge cannot be levied by the court.<br/>The bench, also comprising Justices AK Sikri and R Banumathi, said it will decide later whether green cess can be<br/>levied on diesel vehicles of below 2000cc engine capacity.<br/><br/>As the hearing was concluding, the bench orally clarified that any enhancement or reduction of green cess would not have a retrospective effect.