The Supreme Court today directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to consider relaxing the restrictions on physical classes for schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in Delhi-NCR. These restrictions were imposed last week due to severe air pollution. A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih said that a large number of students do not have air purifiers at home and, therefore, there may not be a significant difference between children staying at home and those attending schools. The Supreme Court also noted that some students are being deprived of the facility of midday meals and lack adequate infrastructure to attend online classes.

The Court ordered that a decision be taken by the CAQM in this regard by tomorrow. Meanwhile, the top Court came down heavily on authorities for failing to enforce the ban on the entry of trucks and light commercial vehicles into Delhi, a measure imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) as part of its GRAP-Four measures to address severe air pollution. The Court directed the CAQM to initiate prosecution against officials who failed to enforce the directives.