'Situation is very, very serious!': SC slams authorities over Delhi’s alarming pollution levels
NEW DELHI: Expressing serious concern over Delhi’s worsening air pollution levels, the Supreme Court on Thursday, during a hearing not connected to the pollution matter, remarked that even masks were ineffective and urged lawyers to attend hearings virtually as air quality reached severe levels.
During the hearing in the top court, the two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice P. S. Narasimha, questioned lawyers arguing the case in the courtroom, asking why they were physically present when virtual hearing facilities were available. “Please avail it. This will cause permanent damage,” the bench said.
Hearing the remarks, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in court, replied, “Mylords, we were using the mask here even inside the courtroom.”
To this, Justice Narasimha responded, “Even masks are not enough. It will not suffice. We will discuss with the Chief Justice as well.”
“The quality of air in Delhi had reached a point when masks may no longer be enough to protect citizens. The situation is very, very serious,” Justice Narasimha observed.
Calling the situation “very serious,” the bench urged senior advocates to join court proceedings through video conferencing to argue their respective cases, rather than physically appearing in court to avoid the risk of exposure to the toxic air.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR has once again deteriorated, reaching toxic and “severe” levels, as the national capital remains shrouded in a thick grey smog.
In the main pollution matter, the top court had earlier slammed the authorities for allegedly failing in their duty to control air pollution in Delhi-NCR. It had also questioned crop-residue burning as a key cause of the toxic smog and sought further accountability from the state governments of Punjab and Haryana.
The Supreme Court will take up the matter for hearing on 17 November.