Calcutta HC takes suo motu cognisance of rising pollution in Kolkata

Kolkata: A division Bench headed by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul on Monday took suo motu cognisance of rising pollution in West Bengal, especially in the state capital Kolkata.

Accordingly, a suo motu public interest litigation has been registered before the Chief Justice’s division Bench in the matter. At the same time, two other public interest litigations (PILs) filed on the issue have been linked to the suo motu public interest litigation.

The hearing in the matter will be held on January 28. All parties linked to the earlier public interest litigations have been advised to be present in court on that day.

It is learnt that notices have been issued to both the Central and the West Bengal governments in connection with the suo motu public interest litigation. The Union government has already confirmed receipt of the notice.

The Calcutta High Court took suo motu cognisance in the matter of rising pollution levels and the constantly deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in Kolkata during the current winter season.

On many days this winter, Kolkata’s AQI levels were worse than Delhi’s, which has frequently been in news headlines for alarming pollution levels

Last week, a report surfaced stating that beyond particulate matter, Kolkata’s air quality in 2025 was impacted by toxic gaseous pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3).

On 82 days in 2025, Kolkata’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was primarily driven by these toxic gaseous pollutants, according to the latest analysis by climate-tech entity Respirer Living Sciences.

The analysis report was prepared using the entity’s Atlas AQ Platform.

“While particulate matter remains a major concern, the data indicate that air toxicity in Kolkata is increasingly multi-pollutant in nature, with gaseous emissions playing a significant role in determining daily health risk,” the report observed.

IANS