Today, the Supreme Court directed states within the National Capital Region (NCR) to form dedicated teams comprising various officials to ensure strict enforcement of anti-pollution measures outlined in Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

A division bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih issued the directive after being informed that Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been reimplemented in Delhi-NCR due to deteriorating air quality.

"We direct NCR states to constitute the teams of members of police, revenue officials to monitor the implementation of GRAP IV measures. We say this that the members so created in this team will work as officers of this court. They will regularly submit report of compliance and breaches to CAQM [Commission for Air Quality Management] so that immediate action be taken by all concerned," it directed.

Case Brief:

The Court was hearing a case related to the Delhi air pollution crisis, where the Court has been overseeing measures taken by authorities in neighboring states to address stubble-burning and other contributing factors. 

Earlier in December, the Supreme Court had permitted a relaxation of restrictions in Delhi-NCR following an improvement in air quality. However, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was reinstated on Monday due to a significant decline in air quality.

On December 12, the Court directed the Delhi government and other NCR states—Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan—to make a final decision regarding a year-round ban on the use of firecrackers.

Today, the Delhi government informed the Court of its decision to impose a complete ban on firecrackers. 

On the other hand, Haryana stated it would permit only green crackers, while Rajasthan confirmed a total ban on crackers in areas within the NCR. Uttar Pradesh, however, announced its decision against a complete ban. 

Given the differing stances of the NCR states, the Court observed that a ban would be effective only if all states within the region adopt a uniform decision.