3 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 4, 2026 12:30 am IST
The Bombay High Court has constituted a high-powered committee comprising former Himachal Pradesh High Court chief justice Amjad A Said and retired Bombay High Court judge Anuja Prabhudessai to monitor and supervise compliance with earlier court directives aimed at curbing air pollution in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Justice Sayed served as a judge of the Bombay High Court for 15 years before being elevated as the chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2023.
The committee was formed following observations by a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad, who noted that air pollution levels in Bombay and surrounding areas had not diminished and that there was “insufficient monitoring” by civic authorities. The court made the decision on January 29, while the detailed order was made available on Tuesday.
The High Court has been hearing a suo motu public interest litigation along with other petitions initiated after taking note of multiple media reports including The indian express series Death by Breath, which highlighted an “alarming scenario” of air pollution starting in November 2023.
The committee will examine the reports submitted by municipal commissioners and officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
It will also consider the findings of a committee of advocates appointed earlier by the High Court to inspect construction works in Mumbai and make recommendations to the authorities.
The court ordered that the committee’s recommendations should cover “immediate, medium and long-term measures to combat and prevent air pollution in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including advising them on formulating a Graded Response Action Plan for Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.”
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The High Court said the committee could submit a preliminary report by March 5, followed by monthly reports, and could also suggest “further measures to ensure effective compliance and reduction of pollution.”
The court further stated that the committee “may seek input, where necessary”, from Virendra Sethi, Emeritus Fellow in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, IIT Bombay, and Dr Indu Khosla, Pediatric Pulmonologist, and “may consult any other expert body if necessary”.
The order also allows the committee to hold physical or virtual meetings once a week initially, depending on workload, and to conduct site visits or convene meetings at appropriate locations.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has been directed to pay Rs 1 lakh per sitting to each committee member and provide office space, a vehicle and secretarial assistance. The Municipal Deputy Commissioner of Environment has been designated as the nodal person responsible for coordination with the committee.
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Posting the matter for further hearing on March 5, the High Court warned: “Any non-attendance to the High Power Committee or refusal or disobedience of any request, order or directive of the High Power Committee shall be deemed to be a breach of this order and appropriate proceedings, including contempt proceedings, shall be initiated against the persons concerned.”