A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant heard a plea on Delhi-NCR’s worsening air pollution today, December 17.
Confirming the date, the Chief Justice said, “This is coming up before a three judges’ SC bench on Wednesday (17 December). It will come up.”
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What is the plea about
During the proceedings, the bench heard senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae. She pointed out that while preventive steps have been announced, poor implementation by authorities remains a serious concern. She added that until clear directions are issued by the court, compliance with existing pollution control protocols continues to lag.
Another lawyer raised concerns about the health of children, stating that schools are still conducting outdoor sports activities despite earlier court orders. Highlighting the issue, the amicus said, “Despite the order of this court, Schools have found ways and means to have these sporting activities. it is taking place. The CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) is again citing the order of this court.”
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What’s the Supreme Court’s response
Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Surya Kant said, “We know the problem and let us pass orders which can be complied with. There are some directions which can be forcibly imposed. In these urban metropolitan cities people have their own lifestyle. But the poor…” The amicus then added that poor labourers are the worst affected by the pollution crisis.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had made it clear that air pollution cases should not be treated as a “customary” issue that is taken up only during peak winter months. The bench said the matter would be heard twice a month to work out both short-term and long-term solutions to the problem.
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Delhi air quality in ‘severe’ category
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality worsened sharply on Wednesday, with most monitoring stations reporting AQI levels in the very poor to severe range, raising serious health concerns. Industrial areas and traffic-heavy zones were among the worst affected parts of the city.
Bawana recorded the highest AQI at 378, followed by Mundka at 370, Pusa at 365, and Rohini at 364. Areas such as ITO, Wazirpur, Nehru Nagar, Jahangirpuri and NSIT Dwarka reported AQI readings between 360 and 361. These levels are close to the severe category, meaning prolonged exposure could lead to breathing problems even for healthy people.
According to AQI.in, breathing Delhi’s air is equivalent to smoking 8.5 cigarettes a day. The platform advised residents to use air purifiers, ensure car filters are clean, wear N95 masks and stay indoors as much as possible, along with following basic do’s and don’ts to reduce exposure.
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