Supreme Court Demands Stubble Burning Prevention Report as Delhi's Air Quality Reaches Severe Levels

Pollution levels across numerous areas of Delhi have reached alarming thresholds.

New Delhi:

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court instructed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to submit comprehensive affidavits detailing measures implemented to combat stubble burning, as air quality in the national capital and surrounding regions deteriorated to "severe" categories.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai, which has been overseeing pollution control initiatives in the Delhi-NCR region, considered submissions highlighting deteriorating conditions despite the enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan informed the Bench, which also includes Justice K Vinod Chandran, that while GRAP-III is currently operational, the existing pollution levels necessitate implementation of GRAP-IV - the most stringent tier of anti-pollution measures.

"AQI has exceeded 450 in multiple locations. Even outside Court No. 10, drilling operations continue. Such activities should cease at least temporarily," he stated.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, serving as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in a public interest litigation (PIL) regarding pollution control, also highlighted inconsistencies in official data and cautioned that conditions had become "very dangerous".

Acknowledging these submissions, the CJI Gavai-led Bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on Monday and requested responses from Punjab and Haryana regarding actions taken to mitigate stubble burning.

During its previous hearing in September, the Supreme Court had requested a report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) concerning its monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and had suggested the Centre consider strict penalties, including arrests, to discourage farmers from burning crop residue.

Despite repeated judicial directives, the Supreme Court has expressed dissatisfaction with the states' failure to prevent seasonal pollution spikes.