‘What Magic Wand Can We Use?’ Supreme Court Says No Single Reason For Delhi’s Air Pollution

The Supreme Court on Thursday termed the air pollution crisis in Delhi an “important issue concerning every resident”, but rued the “ceremonial” treatment of the issue.

As the case was mentioned before the top court and the amicus curie termed the annual nightmare a “health emergency”, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked: “What magic wand the judiciary will have to use, tell us. What order can we pass that by today there is clean air?”

The court acknowledged the urgency but noted the complexity of the problem, stressing that there is no single cause and multiple factors are contributing to the pollution. “We will take up the matter. We have identified the problem but we need to identify all reasons. There is no one reason for it. Only domain

experts can find out the multiple reasons behind it. If there are multiple reasons, what are the solutions? That also only experts can find out.”