- By Shibra Arshad
- Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:00 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi Air Pollution Update: Amid the implementation of GRAP stage 4 to curb the rising air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi High Court ruled that the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 4 guidelines only suggest work-from-home.
It added that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) guidelines confer only discretionary power on the government and do not compel the centre to allow its employees to work from home. A bench of Justice Sachin Datta made the observation.
The ruling came after a C-Dot employee filed a petition stating that his organisation had not implemented the 50 per cent work-from-home guideline and that he received no response to his WFH request.
Petitioner Shubham Verma is an 'E-Scientist' at the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an autonomous telecommunications technology development body functioning under the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.
Verma, in his plea, stated that his organisation failed to comply with the guidelines of the CAQM, which mandated at least 50 per cent work from homewith effect from November 21, 2025.
C-DOT Engineer Demands Work-From-Home
Verma, in his plea, further added that due to construction and demolition work at his office, he has developed medical issues and had applied for work from home, but received no response from his company.
The Delhi HC bench on whether 50 per cent work-from-home is mandatory under GRAP stage 4, ruled, “The contention of the petitioner that he is entitled to work from home in terms of the aforesaid guidelines is misplaced in as much as a perusal of the paragraph 4(C)(2) of the aforesaid guidelines dated 21.11.2025 reveals that the same vests a discretionary and not a mandatory obligation upon the central government to take an appropriate decision for permitting its employees to avail the work from home facility.”