At a time when Delhi is struggling to breathe under dangerously high pollution levels and emergency measures are being enforced to curb toxic air, an investigation by Aaj Tak has exposed a deeply disturbing racket that strikes at the core of India’s vehicle emissions monitoring framework. The probe reveals that Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), which are meant to ensure vehicles meet prescribed emission standards, are being issued casually without proper testing, and in several instances, without the vehicles even being present at testing centres.
The investigation, carried out by reporters posing as vehicle dealers, uncovered how authorised PUCC centres are openly flouting the law. This malpractice not only renders environmental regulations meaningless but also poses a direct threat to public health, as highly polluting and mechanically unfit vehicles continue to operate freely across Delhi and the wider NCR, worsening already hazardous air quality conditions.
Under Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, every vehicle is legally required to undergo periodic emissions testing to obtain or renew a valid PUCC. Driving without this certificate can attract fines of up to ₹10,000 under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, and repeated violations may even result in suspension of a driving licence. Issuing false certificates is a criminal offence that can amount to cheating, forgery and abetment under the Indian Penal Code. Despite these clear provisions, the investigation shows how blatantly and effortlessly the law is being bypassed.
In one instance, reporters identified a BS-IV Maruti Swift parked outside Jyoti Nagar Police Station in northeast Delhi. Its PUCC had expired more than a year earlier. Inside the same police station premises was a seized motorcycle that was legally classified as case property and was not permitted to be moved at all. Its PUCC, too, had expired. Both vehicles were stationary and unavailable for testing, yet this did not prevent fresh certificates from being issued.
When the team approached a government-authorised PUCC centre in Gokulpuri and explained that the vehicle could not be brought in due to overheating, the operator assured them that the pollution check could be “managed” remotely. He promised to send a PDF certificate generated through software, asked for cash payment, vehicle numbers and photographs, and claimed the process would take barely ten minutes. Shortly after paying ₹400, fresh PUCC certificates for both vehicles were delivered digitally, even though neither vehicle had undergone any emissions test or moved from its location.
In another case, the investigation focused on two vehicles lying in police custody in Ghaziabad: a badly damaged Eco van that was not roadworthy and a motorcycle whose PUCC had expired years ago. Despite their condition and legal status as seized property, fresh PUCC certificates were quietly issued for both. At a kiosk near the Loni-Bhopura Road, an operator openly agreed to issue certificates based solely on photographs shared over WhatsApp, assuring that the entries would still be officially registered.
Although government-notified rates for PUCC testing are ₹65 for two-wheelers and ₹85 for cars, the operator quoted inflated prices, describing them as a special “no-vehicle rate”. Once payment was made in advance, certificates were issued digitally without any physical inspection, tailpipe testing or machine-generated readings, clearly indicating organised fraud.
The investigation also uncovered a third variation of this scam, where a kiosk operator demanded only a short video recording of the vehicle instead of a physical inspection. After receiving an online payment, the operator assured the team that a “100 per cent genuine” certificate would be issued. His only concern was that the video should not show the vehicle inside a police station, as that could jeopardise his licence. By the next morning, a PUCC certificate registered under the Uttar Pradesh transport authority had been delivered remotely.
What emerges from these findings is not a minor loophole but a deeply compromised system. Certificates are being issued without testing, rates are being illegally inflated, government-authorised centres are directly involved, vehicles under police custody are being declared compliant, and even older BS-IV diesel vehicles—restricted under Delhi’s pollution norms—are being cleared without scrutiny. In a city that frequently records air quality in the “severe” category, such practices completely undermine public health efforts.
Legal experts say the actions exposed by the investigation could attract serious criminal liability, including charges of cheating and forgery under multiple sections of the IPC, violations of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, and penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. If any officials are found to be complicit, provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act could also apply. There is also a constitutional obligation on the state to protect citizens’ right to life under Article 21, a principle repeatedly reinforced by the Supreme Court in cases related to pollution and environmental protection.
With GRAP-IV restrictions in force—schools closed, construction halted, and diesel vehicles restricted—authorities regularly urge citizens to comply strictly with pollution norms. However, when compliance itself can be purchased so easily, enforcement collapses, and the fight against pollution becomes little more than a facade.
As Delhi continues to choke on some of the most polluted air in the world, the investigation raises troubling questions. Who controls access to PUCC software systems? How are fraudulent entries being validated in official transport databases? Are government agencies auditing these centres at all? How many vehicles across the NCR are running on fake pollution certificates, and what corrective action will authorities take?
Until these questions are answered, one reality stands out starkly: when pollution checks are reduced to a paid formality, the cost is borne by citizens through poisoned air, damaged lungs and an ever-deepening public health crisis.
