The Supreme Court of India on Thursday voiced serious concern over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, describing the situation as “very, very serious” as the Delhi-NCR region experienced
“severe” pollution for the third day in a row.
During the morning mentioning round, Justice P.S. Narasimha, sitting with Justice Atul S. Chandurkar, urged lawyers to avoid appearing in person and instead use the court’s virtual‐hearing facility, pointing out that the hazardous air could cause “permanent damage.”
The city’s air quality index (AQI) first climbed above 400 this season on Tuesday, registering 428. It remained high on Wednesday at 418, and stood at 425 by 9 am on Thursday, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
In response, the CAQM triggered Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR. Measures under this response include bans on construction, restrictions on diesel vehicles, and other measures aimed at curbing the crisis.
Meanwhile, a separate Supreme Court bench led by Bhushan R. Gavai, the Chief Justice of India, is actively monitoring the broader issue of air pollution, pressing the governments of Punjab and Haryana to take action to stop crop-residue burning, a key driver of the seasonal smog enveloping the Indo-Gangetic plains.
