pollution

A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur and justices AK Sikri and SA Bobde today ordered a ban on all sales of firecrackers and the issuing of new licences in Delhi.

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hold an urgent hearing of a plea challenging the Delhi high court’s order allowing, on trial basis, the odd-even policy for private cars for 15 days here.

Declining to hold an early hearing of the plea, the bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur wondered if the plea by a young advocate was a publicity stunt.

Why a young advocate is having difficulty in reaching the court, the court observed. The plea was moved by petitioner advocate B Badrinath.

The odd-even policy, under which private cars with registrations ending in even numbers could ply only on even dates, and vice versa for those with odd-numbered plates, was announced by the state government from January 1-15 after the Delhi high court said the national capital had turned into a gas chamber.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur and Supreme Court Justice AK Sikri are carpooling, reported The Indian Express:

The two also finalised their travel itinerary for the next 15 days when the odd-even scheme would be in effect in the capital.

The two decided to lead by example and carpool, despite being exempt from the policy as they hold constitutional posts. Justice Thakur has an odd-numbered car, while Justice Sikri’s vehicle is even. The two live close to each other.On Monday - the first working day in the top court after winter break - Justice Sikri picked up the CJI on his way to court.

Delhi’s lawyers on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requesting him to exempt advocates from the city government’s odd-even vehicle restriction plan.

The coordination committee of all district court bar associations, in its letter to Kejriwal, said that the odd-even traffic restriction plan will severely affect litigants and the public having cases in the different district courts, tribunals, forums and commissions due to non-appearance of lawyers on time.

“The six different courts, various tribunals, judicial forums and commissions are located in different parts of the city far away from one another,” the letter said.

It said the odd-even plan will thus create undue suffering for the common man from the judicial delivery system.

In its bid to battle pollution, the Delhi government decided that private vehicles with odd and even registration numbers will ply on odd and even dates from 1 January.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the central and Delhi governments as to why pollution compensatory charge be not levied on the trucks and commercial vehicles entering national capital and further contributing to already alarming air pollution in the city.

In Arjun Gopal vs UOI filed in the Supreme Court, the three infants, all residents of Delhi, have sought the immediate intervention of Supreme Court against the inevitable and upcoming widespread use of firecrackers and fireworks and other products of the same classification, especially during the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali. The Supreme Court, their petition says, is bound under Article 32 to take interim steps in effectuating the people’s right to clean, healthy and breathable air under Article 21.