Today, On 18th November, The Supreme Court directed the petitioner to file an intervention in the ongoing M.C. Mehta case while hearing concerns over the worsening Delhi air pollution crisis. The bench said this route ensures accountability and faster action on pollution issues.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court considered a writ petition asking for a scientific source study to understand and address the severe air-pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel told the Bench that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had already ordered a source study, but the directions were not being followed properly.
The counsel pointed out that the pollution problem was spreading across many regions. He said the situation in several cities was extremely alarming, and most urban local bodies had not complied with the NGT order.
He argued that,
“The NGT has directed to conduct a source study. The situation is very bad in other cities as well. Only 9 cities have complied out of 53. How will they tackle the problem without knowing the source. Spraying water will not do anything.”
Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai responded that the Supreme Court was already hearing the long-running M.C. Mehta air-pollution matter, which deals with the broader environmental issues in the National Capital Region.
The CJI said,
“We are already hearing the MC Mehta Case.”
The counsel then requested that the current petition be tagged with the M.C. Mehta matter for a comprehensive hearing.
He told the Bench,
“You can tag the matter with it. I have valid points.”
He further requested to be included directly in that ongoing case, saying,
“My Lords, please allow me to be impleaded in the ongoing matter. I will advance my arguments there.”
In response, the CJI advised him to follow the proper legal procedure.
The Bench stated,
“File an intervention.”
Based on this, the petitioner decided to withdraw the writ petition with permission to participate in the existing proceedings.
The Court passed the following order,
“Counsel for the petitioner seeks to withdraw this petition, with liberty to file an intervention application in the pending M.C. Mehta matter.”
Earlier, The Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the worsening air pollution levels in Delhi, observing that the situation has become “very serious” and merely wearing masks is not sufficient to deal with the health hazard.
Supreme Court Warns of Severe Delhi Air Pollution, Says “Situation Is Very Very Serious! Even Masks Are Not Enough.”
Justice Narasimha Urges Lawyers to Use Virtual Hearings, Cautioning That Toxic Air May Cause Permanent Health Damage.
The air quality in the national capital is worsening, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassing 400, categorizing it as ‘severe’ at several monitoring stations.
This decline persists even with the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III in place throughout Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Bawana reported the highest AQI at 460, while NSIT Dwarka recorded the lowest at 216.
Case Title: LUKE CHRISTOPHER COUTINHO V UNION OF INDIA AND ORS. W.P.(C) No. 1059/2025
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