Bombay High Court Orders Action on Mumbai Air Pollution

The Bombay High Court criticized civic authorities for failing to control deteriorating air and noise pollution in Mumbai. During a suo motu Public Interest Litigation hearing on October 21, a bench comprising Justice Girish S Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale described the pollution levels as "shocking," noting that visibility in the coastal city dropped below 500 metres on Tuesday.

The court reprimanded the Mumbai Police, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for failing to enforce directives against firecrackers and unpermitted sound systems during festivals. The bench warned that this official inaction violates the fundamental rights of citizens.

To address the crisis, the court ordered the Mumbai Police Commissioner to establish a Standard Operating Procedure for enforcing bans on street firecrackers and noise pollution. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board were directed to launch public awareness campaigns by October 24. While the court noted Mumbai's pollution had surpassed Delhi's in some contexts, IQAir data from October 21 showed Delhi with a higher AQI of 208 compared to Mumbai's 181.