The Bombay High Court has stepped in with a firmer hand on Mumbai’s air pollution problem, setting up a High Power Committee to keep a close watch on how pollution-control measures are actually being carried out on the ground.
Former Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Amjad A. Sayed and former Bombay High Court judge Anuja Prabhudessai have been named to lead the panel. Their mandate covers Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with a focus on monitoring whether court-ordered pollution safeguards are being followed in practice.
A bench led by the Chief Justice, along with Justice Gautam A. Ankhad, said the committee will oversee compliance with directions issued in a suo motu case on air quality. The judges made it clear that the move was not optional or symbolic — it was driven by frustration.
Despite repeated directions since 2023, pollution levels in Mumbai remained alarmingly high, peaking at “very severe” levels in December 2025. The Court noted that while authorities continued to submit compliance affidavits, the air itself showed no sign of improvement.
Under its remit, the committee will examine weekly reports from the Municipal Commissioner, civic bodies across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Based on these reviews, it can suggest immediate fixes as well as medium- and long-term strategies to rein in pollution.
The Court pointed to multiple gaps in enforcement: missing air-quality sensors at construction sites, weak follow-up by civic inspection squads, and monitoring teams that appeared to inspect no more than one site a day. In several instances, municipal affidavits did not even address earlier findings flagged by court-appointed reviewers.
To ensure the committee can function without excuses or delays, the Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to provide full logistical backing — office space, transport, secretarial support, and an honorarium of ₹1 lakh per sitting for each member.
The warning was unambiguous. Any failure to assist the committee, or any refusal to comply with its directions, will be treated as a violation of the court’s order and could invite strict action.
In short, the message from the Bench was clear: paperwork alone will not clean Mumbai’s air — results will.
