Overview
- A division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen initiated a suo motu PIL on worsening air quality in Kolkata–Howrah and linked it with Advocate Akash Sharma’s pending petition.
- Notices were issued to the West Bengal government and the Union government, and the Centre confirmed receipt.
- An initial listing is set for January 28, with written replies ordered by February 28 and affidavit timelines to follow.
- Sharma’s petition seeks a GRAP for Kolkata–Howrah, an expert airshed task force, strict bans on open waste burning, industrial audits with continuous emission monitoring, phased vehicle scrappage and regulation of inter‑state diesel buses, and binding health advisories.
- Evidence placed before the court includes January 2 AQI readings in the ‘very poor to hazardous’ range and an analysis showing 82 days in 2025 where NO2 and ground‑level ozone drove AQI, alongside expert warnings about winter inversion and nighttime waste burning.