'Should Not Politicise Stubble Burning, Can’t Presume That There Is No Solution': SC On Delhi Air Pollution - Key Observations

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (December 1), pulled up authorities over the air pollution problem in Delhi. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, also observed that stubble burning should not be politicised or "made an ego issue".

The court further noted that farmers need to be sensitised about the issue and authorities should provide adequate machinery for stubble burning.

"We don’t want to comment on stubble burning as it’s easy to pass off the burden on those who are hardly represented before us. It has become a thing where you can conveniently put the blame on that," the CJI observed, as quoted by News18.

Questioning the authorities, the Supreme Court said that why people were able to see clear sky during the COVID-19 lockdown even there was stubble burning. "Stubble burning was there during the Covid, but why could the people still see clear blue sky? The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or issue of ego," said the top court as quoted by Live Law.

The apex court also stated that it would regularly hold hearings on the Delhi air problem issue and the matter should not be treated seasonal.

The top court asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to present its short- and long-term plans to tackle the problem of air pollution. The bench called for accountability in solving the problem.

"None of us can sit idle. We can’t presume that there’s no solution to this problem," News18 reported, quoting the bench as saying. The bench asked the authorities to identify the biggest contributor to the pollution in the National Capital Territory.

The Centre was asked to submit a detailed report on measures taken by the government to improve the air quality except for measures against stubble burning.

The next hearing will now take place on December 10.

Delhi AQI On Monday Morning:

On Monday morning, Delhi's air quality remained in the "poor" category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 299 at 7 am compared to 279 at 4 pm on Sunday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Notably, Delhi recorded "poor" air quality for the past two days, an improvement from the "very poor" category on Saturday. According to CPCB, Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI in the city at 354 as of 7 am, placing it in the "very poor" category.