Supreme Court Rejects Fresh Air-Pollution PIL, Channels Plea into M. C. Mehta Case

Overview

• A bench led by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai declined to entertain the new petition but allowed its withdrawal with leave to intervene in the long-running pollution case filed by M. C. Mehta.
• Coutinho’s filing described air pollution as a national public health emergency under Article 21 and sought a formal declaration with a time-bound national action plan.
• The petition cited official July 2025 NCAP figures showing only 25 of 130 cities achieved a 40% reduction in PM10 from 2017 levels while 25 cities recorded increases.
• The plea alleged severe health impacts, including a claim that 2.2 million Delhi schoolchildren have already suffered irreversible lung damage based on cited government and medical studies.
• Requested remedies included giving NCAP targets statutory force, creating a National Task Force on Air Quality and Public Health, curbing crop-residue burning with farmer incentives, phasing out high-emitting vehicles, and enforcing industrial norms with real-time monitoring and public disclosure.