'Don’t have magic wand to fix Delhi air pollution’: Supreme Court seeks expert-led panel for long-term solutions

The Supreme Court on Thursday (Nov 27) said it "does not have a magic wand" to solve Delhi NCR's deteriorating air quality immediately. Acknowledging the severity of the crisis, which has become an annual phenomenon during Diwali, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, stressed that sustainable solutions must come from domain experts rather than courtroom directives.

“It is an issue concerning the entire Delhi-NCR. People are indeed suffering. But tell us what magic wand the judiciary has to come up with for permanently fixing this? Can we pass orders and the air becomes cleaner?” the CJI asked senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who has been assisting the apex court as amicus curiae in the long-running air pollution matter.

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A bench comprising CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that there is no one reason behind the air crisis, but it is a culmination of various factors. The Bench agreed to hear the issue regularly, with the next hearing scheduled on December 1.

"We will take up the matter. We don't have a magic wand which courts can use to find quick solutions on this. The problems we have identified, and solutions to those problems, are what we need. We will have to identify all the reasons. There is no one reason for the problem. People may be thinking there may be only one reason, but there are various factors," the CJI said.

"Only domain experts and scientists can find solutions to deal with each reason (for causes of increasing air pollution). We hope and expect that the government may have come up with something. We'll take up the matter regularly. List on Monday."

The remarks come a day after CJI said that he faced breathing problems during morning walks, describing the situation in Delhi-NCR "hazardous".

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According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's AQI stood at 349 on Thursday morning, keeping the capital in the “very poor” category for nearly two weeks.

AQI ranging between 301 and 400 falls under the “very poor” category, while levels above 400 are classified as “severe.”