New Delhi, Nov 19 || As Delhi-NCR chokes under “severe” air quality amid a dense blanket of smog, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to consider directing schools to postpone sports and games scheduled for November–December to safer months, once air quality improves.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran passed the direction after senior advocate Aparajita Singh, the amicus curiae assisting the top court, flagged that several schools in the national capital and adjoining areas were preparing to conduct sports meets at a time when the Air Quality Index (AQI) had plunged to dangerous levels.
“Children are most vulnerable. Holding sports now is like putting them in gas chambers,” Singh submitted.
Taking note of the submission, the CJI Gavai-led Bench requested CAQM to “consider passing appropriate directions” shifting outdoor sports events to a less-polluted period.