The Supreme Court on Monday (December 1, 2025) said the air pollution issue in the Delhi-NCR cannot be treated as a "customary" case to be listed only during the winter months, noting that it will be taken twice in a month to find out short and long-term solutions to the menace.
In a significant shift from the usual narrative, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, "The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or an issue of ego."
Why India struggles to clear its air
Questioning the usual blame on stubble burning as the key contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR, CJI Kant, who comes from a farmer's family at Hissar in Haryana, asked, "Stubble burning was there during COVID, but why could people still see clear blue skies? This suggests other factors are at play."
"We do not want to comment on stubble burning as it is incorrect to pass the burden onto people (farmers) who are hardly represented in this court," the CJI said, adding, "The issue of stubble burning should not unnecessarily become a political issue or an issue of ego."
