The Calcutta High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the hazardous air pollution crisis in the Kolkata–Howrah region after AQI levels touched 330–350. The Court has sought responses from the West Bengal government and concerned authorities, calling the situation a continuing public health emergency.
The Calcutta High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the serious air pollution situation in the Kolkata–Howrah region and started its own judicial proceedings over the worsening air quality in the city.
A Division Bench consisting of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen registered a suo motu case after noting the alarming condition of air pollution in the region.
The Court took this step 17 days after advocate Akash Sharma had approached it with a public interest litigation drawing attention to the dangerously high pollution levels.
In his PIL filed on January 2, Sharma pointed out that Kolkata’s Air Quality Index had reached between 330 and 350, placing the city in the “hazardous” category. The plea highlighted that on the same day, Kolkata’s air quality was worse than that of Delhi and Mumbai, raising serious concerns for public health.
When the matter was taken up on Monday afternoon, the Bench first heard Sharma’s petition and observed that the issue required urgent attention, especially in view of the detailed reliefs sought in the plea.
After this, the Court formally took suo motu cognisance of what it described as a “continuing air pollution emergency” affecting the entire Kolkata–Howrah airshed.
The Bench ordered that the PIL filed by Sharma and the suo motu proceedings be clubbed together. It also issued notices to the State of West Bengal and all other concerned authorities, asking them to respond to the issues raised.
The Court directed the authorities to file their replies by February 28, 2026, and clarified that any affidavits in opposition must be submitted within two weeks after that date.
The petitions before the Court seek several immediate and long-term measures to tackle the pollution crisis. These include a formal declaration of hazardous AQI levels as a public health emergency, notification and strict implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the Kolkata–Howrah region, and the setting up of an expert task force to deal specifically with airshed-level pollution.
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Other reliefs sought include strict action against open burning of waste, stronger control over vehicular emissions, detailed audits of industrial pollution sources, and mandatory public health advisories whenever pollution levels reach severe or hazardous levels.
The plea argues that unchecked air pollution directly violates the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
It also points out that the State has a constitutional duty under Article 47 to protect public health, a responsibility that becomes even more critical during severe air pollution episodes affecting millions of residents in the Kolkata–Howrah region.
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