Lawyers can be exempted in next odd-even session: AAP tells HC

New Delhi: Lawyers in the capital will not be exempted from the ongoing phase of the odd-even scheme with the AAP government on Tuesday informing Delhi High Court that it will consider the issue if the scheme comes into force again.

The government assured a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath that if the odd-even scheme will come again after the ongoing phase would be over on April 30, it would consider the issue of whether to exempt lawyers from it.

"Next time if it (odd-even scheme) happens, we will give an appropriate consideration. If the petitioner will take up the issue again, we will consider it positively," Delhi government senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra told the bench.

The bench, however, observed, "this is a fact that many sections of people are facing inconvenience (due to odd-even scheme). Even the Parliamentarians are now facing inconvenience."

The bench, after hearing the submissions, said that "all the legal issues (raised in the petition) are kept pending to be decided at appropriate stage."

After Mehra told the bench that government would consider the issue if the odd-even scheme is implemented again, the petitioner, advocate Rajiv Khosla, agreed to it.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Khosla who had sought exemption for lawyers from the odd-even scheme and also against imposition of Rs 2,000 as fine for violation without proper amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act.

The court had on Monday asked the Delhi government whether there was any possibility of exempting advocates for the remaining period of the ongoing odd-even scheme which would continue till April 30.

In its affidavit filed in the court, the government had said that the odd-even scheme was in the "light of dangerous levels of pollution which have plagued the NCT region and is harming the health and safety." The government had also said that a "massive public opinion" exercise was carried out on the issue.