Citing ‘weather conditions’, Supreme Court asks lawyers to appear online

On Saturday, the Commission for Air Quality Management’s sub-committee on the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) invoked Stage IV (Severe+) restrictions across Delhi-NCR. This is the highest level of emergency curbs as the Air Quality Index crossed the 450-mark.

As part of the emergency measures, schools may decide to discontinue physical classes for students of Classes VI to IX and Class XI, shifting them to online or hybrid mode depending on local conditions. Besides, all private and Delhi government offices are required to work at 50 per cent strength, with the rest of the staff to work from home.

Sources told The Indian Express that some judges were of the view that since GRAP Stage IV requires 50 per cent reduced functioning in workplaces, the Supreme Court must also adopt the practice. It is learnt that the court weighed the prospect of “200-300 fewer cars in the parking lot” till the winter vacation starts on December 20.

On November 13, expressing concern over the rising air pollution levels in the national capital, Supreme Court Justice P S Narasimha had told lawyers to appear virtually. “This pollution will cause permanent damage. Why are you all appearing here? Please avail the virtual hearing facility,” he had said. When senior advocate Kapil Sibal told the judge that lawyers were using masks, Justice Narasimha remarked that even those were not enough.

A day earlier, in a separate hearing involving a couple who were living in Bengaluru, another Supreme Court judge, Justice B V Nagarathna, had remarked that the southern city had better living conditions than Delhi due to air pollution.