Delhi High Court Urges Government to Address Air Pollution Crisis

Court's Warning on Air Quality

The Delhi High Court has issued a stern warning to the central government regarding the deteriorating air quality in the city. The court emphasized that the government must either guarantee citizens access to clean air or significantly reduce the GST on air purifiers.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated that lowering the highest GST rate of 18% is a crucial step in light of the public health emergency.

Petition Highlights Need for Air Purifiers

This hearing followed a petition filed by advocate Kapil Madan, who requested the court to classify air purifiers as 'medical devices' and reduce their GST to 5%. The petitioner argued that air purifiers have become essential for maintaining clean indoor air.

He pointed out that the current high tax rate makes these devices unaffordable for a significant portion of the population, imposing an unreasonable and constitutionally unacceptable burden.

Court Emphasizes Health Emergency

The court stressed the severity of the crisis and directed the government to assess the damage caused to nearly 30 million residents of Delhi-NCR. The judges remarked, "This is the least you can do... Every citizen deserves fresh air. If you cannot provide that, at least reduce the GST. Treat this as an emergency." The government was given until 2:30 PM to respond.

Current Air Quality Situation

The air quality in Delhi remains critically poor. Recent data indicated alarming pollution levels, with an AQI of 355 in Noida, 349 in Delhi, 316 in Gurugram, and 309 in Ghaziabad as of Wednesday morning. Images from central Delhi showed dense fog enveloping Rajpath during a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade.

Last week, the AQI in Delhi soared to 441, while the week before it reached 461, marking the second worst air quality day in December's history. According to the Global Burden of Disease data, approximately 15% of total deaths in the city in 2023 were attributed to hazardous air quality.