The Calcutta High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the hazardous air pollution crisis in the Kolkata-Howrah region, initiating judicial proceedings over the city’s deteriorating air quality.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen registered a suo motu case, 17 days after advocate Akash Sharma moved the court with a public interest litigation highlighting the alarming pollution levels.
Sharma’s PIL, filed on January 2, cited an Air Quality Index (AQI) in the range of 330 to 350, placing Kolkata in the ‘hazardous’ category — worse than Delhi and Mumbai on the same day.
During the hearing held on Monday afternoon, the bench first took up Sharma’s petition, noting the urgency of the issue and the detailed reliefs sought.
The court then formally took suo motu cognisance of what it described as a continuing air pollution emergency affecting the Kolkata-Howrah airshed.
The bench ordered that both matters be clubbed and issued notices to the State of West Bengal and all concerned authorities.
The court directed them to file their responses by February 28, 2026. Any affidavits in opposition are to be submitted within two weeks thereafter.
The petitions seek a range of immediate measures, including a formal declaration of hazardous AQI levels as a public health emergency, notification and enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the Kolkata-Howrah region, and the constitution of an expert airshed task force.
Other prayers include strict action against open waste burning, tighter vehicular emission controls, audits of industrial pollution, and mandatory public health advisories during severe pollution episodes.
The plea argues that unchecked air pollution violates citizens’ fundamental right to life under Article 21 and the state’s duty to protect public health under Article 47 of the Constitution.