Delhi Traffic Police's Northern Range team registered three FIRs against commercial vehicle operators on 27 October 2026 for allegedly using fake No Entry Permissions (NEPs) during an enforcement drive at the capital's border areas, as Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains in force across Delhi-NCR.

How the Drive Unfolded

The special operation was conducted on the directions of Dr. Sachin Kumar Singhal, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Northern Range. Teams intercepted commercial vehicles at Delhi's border checkpoints, scrutinising their No Entry Permissions for authenticity.

Three vehicles were found allegedly carrying forged NEPs. All three operators and their vehicles were subsequently handed over to local police for further legal proceedings.

The Three Cases Registered

In the first case, vehicle number DL1LAC3219, driven by Vikram (38), son of Kamlesh, was found allegedly using NEP number 221120255308406. FIR No. 622/26 was registered under Section 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Alipur police station.

In the second case, a Tata Ace bearing registration number DL1LAQ4160, driven and owned by Santosh, son of Motilal, was allegedly found using NEP number 10112025S295772. FIR No. 623/26 was registered under Section 318(2) of the BNS at Alipur police station.

In the third case, vehicle number DL1LAG4982, driven by Gaurav Kumar, son of Ashok Kumar, was allegedly found using NEP number 19012023S165940. FIR No. 916/26 was registered under Sections 318(2) and 340(2) of the BNS at Samaypur Badli police station.

The GRAP-I Context and Air Quality Crisis

The enforcement drive comes directly in response to a sharp deterioration in Delhi-NCR's air quality. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage I of GRAP with effect from 21 October, after the city's air quality slipped into the 'Poor' category.

As of 8 am on Wednesday, Delhi's city-level Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 250, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) All India AQI portal — firmly in the 'Poor' range. Restricting unauthorised commercial vehicle movement at border entry points is a key enforcement pillar of GRAP-I, aimed at reducing vehicular emissions contributing to the seasonal pollution surge.

Regulatory and Legal Framework

No Entry Permissions are issued to commercial vehicles to regulate their movement into restricted zones during specific hours. Forged NEPs undermine traffic management and, during GRAP-enforced periods, also compromise pollution-control protocols. The use of Sections 318(2) and 340(2) of the BNS — which pertain to cheating and forgery-related offences — signals a deliberate escalation in the legal response beyond routine traffic violations.

With winter approaching and AQI levels expected to worsen, authorities are likely to intensify such drives across Delhi's entry corridors in the weeks ahead.