The Supreme Court on Thursday remarked that judicial bodies have its limitations when it comes to tackling issues like air pollution and the top court does not have any magic wand to solve the Delhi air pollution crisis.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant also said that there are multiples causes for the deteriorating air quality in the national capital and it is upto domain experts and scientists to find a solution.
"What magic wand can a judicial forum exercise? I know this is hazardous for Delhi NCR... Tell me what can we direct that we can make some directions and there is clean air immediately. We all know what is the problem.. We need to identify all the reasons. There is no one single reason.. it could be bona fide mistake to think that. Only domain experts and scientists can look into that. Then we have to see what can be the solutions in each region. Let us see what the government has constituted in terms of committee," CJI Kant said.
This was after Amicus Curiae Aparajita Singh in the Delhi air pollution case mentioned the matter for listing.
"Alarming situation in Delhi NCR and it is a health emergency," Singh said.
CJI Kant said that the case before the top court is listed in a rather ceremonial manner every year during the Diwali season. He said that the matter has to be monitored regularly.
"This matter is also listed ceremonial way during the Diwali season etc. Let us have regular monitoring," the CJI stated.
The Bench also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi eventually agreed to list the case on Monday, December 1.
"List this on Monday and let us see what can we do," the Bench said.
The Supreme Court had earlier allowed burning of green crackers during Diwali in the national capital and its surrounding districts. However, with the rising pollution levels, medical experts have urged people to leave Delhi for a few weeks.
Earlier this month, the Court had called for a status report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) after it was informed that most of the air quality monitoring stations remained shut during Diwali in Delhi.
The Court had also sought reports from Punjab and Haryana on measures taken to curb stubble burning by farmers, one of the factors which worsens air quality in the north Indian plains.
On November 17, the Court had asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit detailing the nature of equipment and their efficiency in measuring the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital.
[Read Live Coverage]