The Supreme Court on Friday quipped, "hope you all are enjoying weather" while starting the hearing of a suo motu case examining the regulatory framework governing air pollution in Delhi. The bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant, touched upon many aspects of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and termed vehicular pollution as one of the major contributors to the "severely" polluted air in the national capital and adjoining NCR districts.

Raising concerns over the "bumper-to-bumper" traffic in Delhi-NCR, including Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, a bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said, "Look at the roads in Delhi and the roads connecting Delhi with the NCR. Take a look at any road and the kind of vehicles moving on them. That is the major problem."

"We keep talking, sometimes make statements and suggestions, but the point is that AQI is already touching 400," the CJI said, emphasising the need for immediate, medium and long-term measures to curb the rising air quality index.

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Senior Advocate Flags Severe Pollution

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the Supreme Court as amicus curiae, drew attention to the worsening pollution while speaking to the bench. She noted that the air quality is still stuck in the severe category and mentioned that the toxic air had even affected her voice. Pointing to the health dangers, she said breathing this polluted air is like smoking 30 cigarettes a day.

During the hearing, the court also recalled how rainfall had earlier given some temporary relief from the pollution. It expressed hope that stubble burning had stopped now that farmers are preparing for the next sowing season.

Singh told the court that stubble burning makes up about 14 per cent of Delhi’s pollution. She pointed out that the city was already dealing with high pollution levels even without this contribution. She urged that urgent steps be taken to control both stubble-burning and the pollution sources within the city, especially the burning of waste.

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What Did The Apex Court Say?

The judges also looked at pollution coming from urban activities and questioned whether crop residue burning alone could be blamed for the worsening air quality. They expressed concern about emissions from private vehicles, particularly those used by the well-off sections of society, and asked whether these were also adding significantly to the problem.

"Stubble, we keep on talking about... You have provided equipment. Maybe some may still be hesitant about it. What about elite class people? Vehicles, high-end cars all operate..." the Supreme Court said.

The senior advocate agreed that vehicular emissions are definitely a source of air pollution in the region. The observations have also gained attention from Chief Justice Kant. He said that vehicular emissions are a major concern. 

Delhi AQI Breaches 400 Mark

Delhi's air quality has dipped to a very severe category ahead of Diwali. The AQI breached the 400 mark at 18 monitoring stations on Thursday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Jahangirpuri recorded worst AQI at 459, followed by IIT Delhi at 447 and Delhi Technological University at 436.

Officials said GRAP restrictions were already in place, while additional curbs may be imposed if the weather conditions deteriorate further. Meanwhile, the pollution crisis has triggered a political face-off between the governments of Delhi and Punjab, with both sides debating the impact of stubble burning on the capital's air quality.