Supreme Court questions farmers’ blanket immunity in stubble burning

It also underlined the need for long-term strategies to curb pollution that leads to the toxic haze that grips the capital and its adjoining regions every winter, rather than focussing only on the “five-yearly exercise”. By “five-yearly exercise”, the court was alluding to elections at the Centre and in states.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran made the remarks while hearing a case on vacancies in state pollution control boards. Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were given three months to fill posts, with the court warning that poor staffing weakens the fight against recurring environmental challenges.

“Why do you not consider having some penal provisions under the law? … Farmers will have to be brought in for the protection of the environment. There cannot be an absolute immunity,” CJI Gavai told additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for CAQM.