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The Supreme Court Division Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Tuesday came down sharply on the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), calling its handling of Delhi-NCR’s continuing air pollution emergency “unserious”. The Court directed the statutory body to urgently convene a coordinated meeting of domain experts and to place a detailed report both on the judicial record and in the public domain.

The Bench observed that expert bodies were not on the same page about either the primary pollution sources or the relative contribution of different factors behind the decline in air quality. In its order, the Bench noted that assessments by multiple expert institutions—including technical bodies such as the Indian Institute of Technology—assigned widely divergent shares to various emission sectors.

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By way of example, the Court pointed out that estimates of how much the transport and emission sector contributes to the worsening AQI in the NCR ranged from 12% to 41%, depending on which expert body was consulted.

Despite a series of measures implemented over the years, the Bench said the air quality situation in the National Capital Region had remained chronically poor, if not worsened. The Court noted that it had been repeatedly forced to step in intermittently over time—seeking inputs from experts and amici—yet the trajectory continued to be alarming.

Referring to its December 17, 2025 order, the Bench said CAQM had been expressly instructed to revisit long-term remedial strategies. However, instead of producing a firm action plan, CAQM submitted only a status note which, in the Court’s view, “does not reflect any seriousness on the part of the authority, and is unfortunately silent on most of the issues raised by this Court.”

The Bench added that CAQM appeared to be in “no hurry” to either pinpoint the precise drivers of the deteriorating AQI or to develop durable corrective measures—prompting the Court to issue directions aimed at accelerating both exercises.

The Bench also flagged what it described as unhelpful stands taken by civic and other agencies in their affidavits. It recorded that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, rather than proposing practical steps, had emphasised defending toll plazas as a revenue source. The National Highways Authority of India and the Gurugram Metro Development Authority were similarly referenced as having sought apportionment of environmental compensation charges. In its December 17 order, the Court had suggested shutting toll plazas in the NCR to reduce traffic congestion.

Taking note of recommendations submitted by the amicus curiae, Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, covering vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, power plant compliance, construction dust, road dust and firecrackers, the Court stressed that CAQM was duty-bound to bring all relevant domain specialists together and reach a uniform, data-backed identification of causes.

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The Bench directed CAQM to convene a meeting of shortlisted experts within two weeks and, through continued deliberations, submit a report identifying the principal reasons for AQI deterioration. It further ordered that the report be made public to improve awareness and encourage public participation.

At the same time, CAQM was asked to begin evaluating long-term solutions and plan their phased rollout, giving priority to measures targeting the largest contributing sources of pollution. The toll plaza issue, the Court said, must be reconsidered independently and without being swayed by the positions adopted by different stakeholders.

The Bench made it clear it would not allow prolonged adjournments and would keep the matter under continuous monitoring.

Case Title: MC Mehta v. Union of India,

Case No.: WP (C) 13029/1985

Bench: Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi