Supreme Court pulls up Delhi government over failure to fill pollution board vacancies

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Delhi government for its failure to fill vacant posts in the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), particularly since Delhi is among the most polluted regions in India [In Re: Filling of vacant posts in State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees].A Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan has warned the Delhi government that it would have to face action for contempt of court if the vacancies remaining in the DPCC are not filled by the end of September 2025. "We cannot tolerate the laxity shown by Delhi government especially when Delhi is worst affected by air pollution. We direct the state to ensure that all 204 vacancies are filled up by September 2025. Affidavit to be filed by 15th October. If all vacancies are not filled in it will be a case of aggravated contempt," the Court's order said. .The Court was hearing its suo motu proceedings concerning the failure of National Capital Region (NCR) States in complying with earlier orders to complete recruitment to their Pollution Control Boards and Committees..The Court yesterday examined an affidavit submitted by the Chief Secretary of Delhi. It noted that out of 204 vacancies in the DPCC, only 83 had been filled, denoting a vacancy position of around 55 per cent. While so, recruitment was underway for only 36 more posts, the report indicated. The Delhi government's counsel told the Court that 26 interviews were scheduled for the coming week. It also claimed that the overall vacancy position was closer to 25 per cent, not 55 per cent as stated earlier. He assured the Court that all posts would be filled by the end of the year. The Court, however, found the response unsatisfactory.“Why end of the year? The Board (DPCC) is set up by the Government. The government can’t say they’ll take six months to fill in posts. In the affidavit it’s not even written when the process will start (or) when the advertisement will be published,” the Court observed..The Court proceeded to make it clear that all remaining vacancies must be filled by the end of September. It also directed the government to begin the process of filling anticipated vacancies at least six months before they arise, in future. .During yesterday's hearing, Court-appointed amicus curiae and Senior Advocate, Aparajita Singh had also suggested that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) should monitor the progress of recruitment. She said the Supreme Court should not have to continuously track compliance in this matter. The Bench agreed and noted that CAQM should report back to the Court on recruitment progress going forward..The Court had earlier issued contempt notices to the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan for failing to comply with its previous orders. While excusing their personal appearance for the time being, it had required detailed affidavits explaining the delay in compliance..The present proceedings are part of a larger set of directions issued by the Supreme Court to overhaul pollution control governance in the NCR. In earlier hearings, the Court had directed the CAQM to conduct a technical study on outdated infrastructure, staffing issues, and recruitment challenges faced by Pollution Control Boards and Committees..[Read Live Coverage]