India, Dec. 17 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its August order ending protection to old vehicles in Delhi-NCR that do not meet Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) emission standards while hearing a matter on the air pollution crisis in the cities.

A bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, modified the court's August 12 order which had paused coercive action against end-of-life vehicles under BS-3 and below.

The apex court's revised order comes after additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati had urged court to consider the recommendation of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which said that due to the August order even more polluting vehicles were back on roads. The court was hearing a case related to the deterior...