Supreme Court points to heavy traffic as main cause of Delhi smog

UPDATE - follow-up to Supreme Court terms vehicular emissions major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR: The Supreme Court stated that vehicle smoke is a major cause of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR area.

Court Hearing Details

A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana heard the suo motu case on Friday, November 6, 2026. The judges pointed out heavy traffic jams on roads connecting Delhi to nearby towns like Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad. The Chief Justice noted that the air quality index had already reached 400. The Bench observed that poor people suffer the most because they work on the roads, and festival time is their main earning period. On school closures during high pollution, the judges stated they will follow expert advice.

Official Updates And AQI Levels

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court about five key pollution sources: factories, vehicle smoke, construction dust, road dust and farm fires. She noted that stubble burning caused 14 percent of the city's pollution on Thursday. Measures taken include entry rules for certain vehicles, digital tracking of pollution certificates and action against polluting vehicles based on app complaints. The overall AQI settled at 391 on Friday morning, with 30 out of 59 stations showing severe air quality. Rohini recorded the worst AQI at 475, followed by IIT Delhi at 472. The court will pass orders and hear the case again on November 16 after the Diwali break.

Context

Air quality in the National Capital Region routinely worsens during the winter months due to a combination of local emissions, regional farm fires and weather conditions that trap pollutants close to the ground. The Supreme Court often steps in through suo motu proceedings to monitor and direct executive action on environmental emergencies.