Supreme Court - Daily Orders
In Re : Filling Of Vacant Posts In The ... vs For on 17 September, 2025
ITEM NO.14+21 COURT NO.1 SECTION XVII
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
SUO MOTO CONTEMPT PETITION(CIVIL) No(s). 1/2025
IN RE : FILLING OF VACANT POSTS
IN THE STATE POLLUTION CONTROL
BOARDS AND POLLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEES
MR. HARISH N. SALVE, SR. ADVOCATE (A.C.) MS. APARAJITA SINGH, SR.
ADVOCATE (A.C.) MS. UTTARA BABBAR, SR. ADVOCATE (A.C.) MR. A.D.N.
RAO, SR. ADVOCATE (A.C.) MS. SHIBANI GHOSH, ADVOCATE (A.C.) MR.
SIDDHARTHA CHOWDHURY, ADVOCATE (A.C.) MR. G.S. MAKKER, MR. AMRISH
KUMAR, MR. M.K. MARORIA, MR. SANJAY KR. VISEN, MR. SUDEEP KUMAR,
MR. KARAN SHARMA, MR. SANDEEP KR. JHA, MR. JYOTI MENDIRATTA, MR.
RAHUL KHURANA, ADVOCATES
WITH
W.P.(C) No(s). 13029/1985
Date : 17-09-2025 This petition was called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE K. VINOD CHANDRAN
For petitioner(s) :
Applicant-in-person, AOR
Petitioner-in-person
For respondent(s)
Mr. Rahul Mehra, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Vivek Jain, A.A.G.
Ms. Baani Khanna, AOR
Mr. Robin Singh, Adv.
Mr. Chaitanya Gosain, Adv.
Mr. Sadiq Noor, Adv.
Mr. Kapil Balwani, Adv.
Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G.
Signature Not Verified
Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, Adv.
Digitally signed by
DEEPAK SINGH
Date: 2025.09.25
Ms. Shalini Singh, Adv.
16:35:05 IST
Reason: Ms. Awanitika, Adv.
Ms. Nidhi Jaswal, AOR
1
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Jyoti Mendiratta, AOR
Ms. Ananya Basudha, Adv.
Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh, Adv.
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Mr. Sudeep Kumar, AOR
Ms. Manisha, Adv.
Mr. Abhinav Agarwal, Adv.
Ms. Rupali, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv.
Mr. Akshay Amritanshu, AOR
Ms. Drishti Rawal, Adv.
Ms. Drishti Saraf, Adv.
Mr. Sarthak Srivastava, Adv.
Mr. Mayur Goyal, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Khurana, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR
Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv.
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Adv.
Mr. Chitvan Singhal, Adv.
Ms. Neelakshi Bhadouria, Adv.
Mr. Rohan Gupta, Adv.
Mr. P. K. Jain, AOR
Mr. Shryansh Aggarwal, Adv.
Mr. Ramesh Babu M. R., AOR
Mr. Rajesh Kumar Chaurasia, AOR
Ms. Binu Tamta, AOR
Mr. Lokesh Sinhal, Sr. A.A.G.
Mr. B.k. Satija, A.A.G.
Mr. Rakesh Kumar Mudgal, A.A.G.
Mr. Akshay Amritanshu, AOR
Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv.
Mr. Nikunj Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Drishti Saraf, Adv.
Ms. Aakanksha, Adv.
Ms. Ishika Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Sarthak Arya, Adv.
Ms. Drishti Rawal, Adv.
Mr. Sarthak Shrivastava, Adv.
Mr. Mayur Goyal, Adv.
Ms. Seema Sindhu, Adv.
Ms. Kirti, Adv.
Ms. Richa Verma, Adv.
2
Mr. Radha Shyam Jena, AOR
Ms. Hemantika Wahi, AOR
Mr. Ashok Mathur, AOR
Mr. V. K. Verma, AOR
Mr. Ajit Pudussery, AOR
Mrs. Bina Gupta, AOR
Ms. Adviteeya, Adv.
Mr. Rakesh K. Sharma, AOR
Ms. Sujeeta Srivastava, AOR
Mr. Anil Kumar Jha, AOR
Mr. Mukesh K. Giri, AOR
Mr. Mandaar Mukesh Giri, Adv.
M/S. Parekh & Co., AOR
Mr. Sudhir Mendiratta, AOR
Mrs. Anil Katiyar, AOR
Mr. Hardeep Singh Anand, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Narain, AOR
Mr. Sushil Kumar Singh, AOR
Mrs. Rani Chhabra, AOR
Mr. G. Prakash, AOR
Mr. Nishe Rajen Shonker, AOR
Mrs. Anu K Joy, Adv.
Mr. Alim Anvar, Adv.
Mr. Santhosh K, Adv.
Mrs. Devika A.l., Adv.
Ms. Nandini Gidwaney, AOR
Mr. Shri Narain, AOR
Mr. Umesh Kumar Khaitan, AOR
Ms. Shalini Kaul, AOR
Mr. K. R. Sasiprabhu, AOR
Mrs. K. Sarada Devi, AOR
Mr. Sanjay Kumar Visen, AOR
Mrs. Priya Puri, AOR
Ms. Manjula Gupta, AOR
Mr. T. V. Ratnam, AOR
Mr. Balaji Srinivasan, AOR
Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Dwivedi, AOR
M/S. Khaitan & Co., AOR
Mr. S. S. Shroff, AOR
Mr. Sushil Kumar Jain, AOR
Mr. Aniruddha Deshmukh, AOR
Mr. Ravindra Bana, AOR
Mr. Surya Kant, AOR
Mrs. B. Sunita Rao, AOR
Mr. Abhishek, AOR
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Mr. Sarvam Ritam Khare, AOR
Mr. Kushagra Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Akarsh Khare, Adv.
Mr. P. Parmeswaran, AOR
Mr. Mohit D. Ram, AOR
Mr. Alok Gupta, AOR
Mr. Pramod Dayal, AOR
Mr. R. P. Gupta, AOR
M/S. M. V. Kini & Associates, AOR
Mr. Rakesh Kumar-i, AOR
Mr. Satya Mitra, AOR
M/S. Saharya & Co., AOR
Mr. Pavan Kumar, AOR
Mr. Parijat Sinha, AOR
Mr. Chirag M. Shroff, AOR
Mr. Ejaz Maqbool, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Narain, Adv.
Ms. Kanak Malik, Adv.
M/S. S. Narain & Co., AOR
Mr. Prashant Kumar, AOR
Mr. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General
Mr. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Mukesh Kumar Maroria, AOR
Mr. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Adv.
Mr. Subhranshu Padhi, Adv.
Mr. Jagdish Chandra, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Mr. Kamal Kishore, Adv.
Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Mahesh Agarwal, Adv.
Mr. Rohan Talwar, Adv.
Mr. Naman Agarwal, Adv.
Mr. E. C. Agrawala, AOR
Mr. Menaka Guruswamy, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Wasim S. Qadri, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Utkarsh Pratap, Adv.
Mr. Rohit Swarup, Adv.
Mr. Sukhamrit Singh, Adv.
Mr. Devesh Maurya, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Rohilla, Adv.
Mr. Praveen Swarup, AOR
4
Ms. Pritha Srikumar Iyer, AOR
Mr. Pranav Sachdeva, AOR
Mr. Sameer Shrivastava, AOR
Ms. Nidhi Mohan Parashar, AOR
Mr. Kuldip Singh, AOR
Ms. Anushree Prashit Kapadia, AOR
Dr. Brij Bhushan K Jauhari, Adv.
Mr. Deepak Jyoti Ghildiyal, Adv.
Mr. O. P. Singh, Adv.
Mr. Harsh Mahan, Adv.
Mr. Aditya R Swami, Adv.
Ms. Stanzin Choskit, Adv.
Ms. Purnima Jauhari, AOR
Mr. Danish Zubair Khan, AOR
Mr. Vikas Mehta, AOR
Mr. Varun Singh, Adv.
Ms. Kajal S Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Mudit Gupta, AOR
Ms. K. V. Bharathi Upadhyaya, AOR
Mr. Sufyan Hasan, Adv.
Ms. Hema Malik, Adv.
Ms. D Poornima, Adv.
Ms. Pritama, Adv.
Mr. Shantwanu Singh, AOR
Ms. Surabhi Sanchita, AOR
Mr. Vinod Sharma, AOR
Mr. Debojit Borkakati, AOR
Mr. Vikrant Singh Bais, AOR
Ms. Manali Singhal, Adv.
Ms. Diksha Rai, AOR
Ms. Aanchal Kapoor, Adv.
Mr. Ketan Paul, AOR
Mr. Hiren Dasan, AOR
Mr. Ajay Vikram Singh, AOR
Mrs. Priyanka Singh, Adv.
Mr. M Aamir Faiyaz, Adv.
Ms. Anushka Rajora, Adv.
Ms. Mrinalini Tandon, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Vikram Singh, Adv.
Mr. Shiddharth Shankar Jha, Adv.
Ms. Kalpana Jha, Adv.
5
Mr. Abhishek Saket, Adv.
Mr. Sudeep Kumar, AOR
Ms. Manisha, Adv.
Ms. Rupali, Adv.
Mr. Niraj Gupta, AOR
M/s Anshu Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Shubham Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Siddhi Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Shibani Ghosh, AOR
Mr. Atul Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Abhimanyu Sharma, Adv.
Ms. Deepali Atreja, Adv.
Mr. Tarun Gupta, AOR
Mr. Vivek Gupta, AOR
Mr. Ankit Verma, Adv.
Mr. Govind Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Vinay Garg, AOR
M/S. Ram Sankar & Co, AOR
Mr. P. Parmeswaran, AOR
Mr. Durga Dutt, AOR
Mr. Soumya Dutta, AOR
M/S. Ram Sankar & Co, AOR
Ms. Malvika Kapila, AOR
Mr. K. Paari Vendhan, AOR
Mr. Rahul Mehra, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Vivek Jain, A.A.G.
Mr. Karan Sharma, AOR
Mr. Varun Singh, Adv.
Ms. Kajal S Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Mudit Gupta, AOR
Mr. Kawaljit Singh Bhatia, AOR
Ms. Surbhi Mehta, AOR
Mr. Shovan Mishra, AOR
Ms. G. Indira, AOR
Mr. Prakash Ranjan Nayak, AOR
Mr. Raj Bahadur Yadav, AOR
Mr. Avijit Mani Tripathi, AOR
Mr. T.k. Nayak, Adv.
Ms. Marbiang Khongwir, Adv.
Mr. Vikas Bansal, Adv.
Mr. Sameer Kumar, AOR
6
Mr. Ajay Pal, AOR
Mr. Gaurav Kejriwal, AOR
Mr. Sameer Abhyankar, AOR
Mr. Rahul Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Krishna Rastogi, Adv.
Mr. Shankey Agrawal, AOR
Mr. Ankit Roy , AOR
Mr. Mukesh Verma, Adv.
Mrs. Vatsala Tripathi, Adv.
Ms. Manisha, Adv.
Mr. Krishna Prakash Dubay, Adv.
Mr. Yash Pal Dhingra, AOR
Mr. Ashutosh Dubey, AOR
Mrs. Rajshri Dubey, Adv.
Mr. Abhishek Chauhan, Adv.
Mr. Amit P Shahi, Adv.
Mr. Amit Kumar, Adv.
Mr. H B Dubey, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Sethi, Adv.
Mr. Shashibhushan Nagar, Adv.
Mr. Sumant A Khan, Adv.
Mrs. Sona Khan, Adv.
Mr. Rajendra Anbhule, Adv.
Ms. Chanda Trikha, Adv.
Mr. Anjan Datta, Adv.
Ms. G. Indira, AOR
Mr. Aakarshan Aditya, AOR
Mr. Satish C. Kaushik, Adv.
Mr. Vibhu Tiwari, Adv.
Mr. Tarurag Gaur, Adv.
Mr. Nitin Saluja, AOR
Mr. Nirnimesh Dube, AOR
Ms. Rashmi Malhotra, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR
Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv.
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Adv.
Mr. Chitvan Singhal, Adv.
Ms. Neelakshi Bhadouria, Adv.
Mr. Rohan Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Dhananjaya Mishra, AOR
Mr. Lokesh Sinhal, Sr. A.A.G.
7
Mr. Rahul Khurana, AOR
Ms. Srishti Agnihotri, AOR
Mr. Sudarshan Lamba, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Ms. Suhasini Sain, Adv.
Mr. Shubhranshu Padhi, Adv.
Mr. Rajesh Kr. Singh, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
M/S. Karanjawala & Co., AOR
Mr. V. N. Raghupathy, AOR
Mr. Chandra Prakash, AOR
Mr. Mahfooz Ahsan Nazki, AOR
Mr. Satya Mitra, AOR
Mr. Deepayan Mandal, AOR
Mr. Ravindra S. Garia, AOR
Mr. Gaurav Choudhary, AOR
Mr. Ravindra Kumar, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Binay Kumar Das, AOR
Mr. Priyanka Das, Adv.
Ms. Neha Das, Adv.
Mr. Shivam Saksena, Adv.
Mr. Vikas Bharti, Adv.
Mr. Aravindh S., AOR
Mr. Aman Gautam, Adv.
Ms. Meenakshi Chauhan, AOR
Mr. Shuvodeep Roy, AOR
Mr. Deepayan Dutta, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Tripathi, Adv.
Ms. Charu Ambwani, AOR
Mr. Subhro Sanyal, AOR
Mr. Vinodh Kanna B., AOR
Mr. Prasanna S., AOR
Ms. Shalu Sharma, AOR
Mr. Sahil Tagotra, AOR
Ms. Shreya Kasera, Adv.
Ms. Sakshi Garg, Adv.
Mr. Talha Abdul Rahman, AOR
Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR
Mr. Rishi Sehgal, AOR
8
Mr. Kunal Mimani, AOR
Ms. Afshaa Hakim, Adv.
Mr. Kumar Anurag Singh, Adv.
Ms. Tulika Mukherjee, AOR
Mr. Zain A. Khan, Adv.
Mr. Dev Aaryan, Adv.
Ms. Divya Jyoti Singh, AOR
Mr. Yoginder Handoo, AOR
Ms. Misha Rohatgi, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Singh, AOR
Ms. Mithu Jain, AOR
Ms. Asha Gopalan Nair, AOR
Mr. Shashikant Pralhad Chaudhari, Adv.
Mr. Akhil Anand, AOR
Mrs. Prerna Dhall, Adv.
Mr. Ambuj Swaroop, Adv.
Mr. Kapil Katare, Adv.
Ms. Rajnandani Kumari, Adv.
Mr. Prashant Singh, AOR
Ms. Minakshi Pandey, Adv.
Mr. Shivendra Singh, AOR
Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, AOR
Ms. Sakshi Kakkar, AOR
Mr. Akshay Girish Ringe, AOR
Mr. Anuj Bhandari, AOR
Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G.
Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, Adv.
Ms. Shalini Singh, Adv.
Ms. Awanitika, Adv.
Ms. Nidhi Jaswal, AOR
Mr. Ravi Prakash, AOR
Ms. N. Annapoorani, AOR
Mr. S. Gowthaman, AOR
M/S. Ahmadi Law Offices, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Rajesh Kr.singh, Adv.
Mr. Subhranshu Padhi, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Jagdish Chandra, Adv.
Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR
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Mr. Aashishh Chauhan, Adv.
Ms. Sonal Chauhan, Adv.
Ms. Vanya Gupta, AOR
Ms. Kajal Dalal, AOR
Mr. Ankur Chhibber, Adv.
Mr. Anshuman Mehrotra, Adv.
Mr. Nikunj Arora, Adv.
Mr. Prahil Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Arjun Panwar, Adv.
Mr. Amrit Koul, Adv.
Ms. Muskaan Dutta, Adv.
Ms. Mili Tomar, Adv.
Mr. Ashish Pandey, AOR
Ms. Divya Roy, AOR
Ms. Shagun Matta, AOR
Mr. Vinay Garg, AOR
Mr. Anil Kumar, AOR
Mr. Rakesh Kumar-i, AOR
Mr. Pukhrambam Ramesh Kumar, AOR
Mr. Karun Sharma, Adv.
Ms. Anupama Ngangom, Adv.
Ms. Rajkumari Divyasana, Adv.
Mr. Vikrant Singh Bais, AOR
Ms. Neeru Vaid, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Ms. Kanu Agrawal, Adv.
Mr. Bhuvan Kapoor, Adv.
Mr. Varun Chugh, Adv.
Mr. Krishna Kant Dubey, Adv.
Ms. Indira Bhakar, Adv.
Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AOR
Mr. Saurabh Agrawal, AOR
Mr. Devansh Srivastava, AOR
Mr. Luv Virmani, AOR
Mr. Shekhar Kumar, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Narain, Adv.
Ms. Kanak Malik, Adv.
M/S. S. Narain & Co., AOR
Ms. Aswathi M.K., AOR
Mr. Neeraj Shekhar, AOR
Mr. Rajesh Maurya, Adv.
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Mr. Ujjwal Ashutosh, Adv.
Mr. Kanishak Saini, Adv.
Mr. Saroj Singh, Adv.
Ms. Lubna Naaz, AOR
Mr. Parminder Singh Bhullar, AOR
Mr. Chandrakant Sukumar Sarkar, Adv.
Mr. Mukesh Kumar Singh, Adv.
Mr. Narendra Kumar Goyal, Adv.
Mr. Shantanu Jugtawat, Adv.
Mr. Ikshit Singhal, Adv.
Mr. C M Dwivedi, Adv.
Mr. Jeetendra Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Madam Hans, Adv.
M/S. Mukesh Kumar Singh And Co., AOR
Mr. Alok Gupta, AOR
Mr. K. V. Mohan, AOR
Mr. Yash S. Vijay, AOR
Mr. Debdeep Banerjee, Adv.
M/s Lex Regis Law Offices, AOR
Miss Kanika Singhal, AOR
Ms. Jaikriti S. Jadeja, AOR
Mr. Rajan Narain, AOR
Mr Gaurav, AOR
Mr. T. R. B. Sivakumar, AOR
Mr. Mohit Paul, AOR
Mr. Shalen Bhardwaj, Adv.
Mr. Amod Kumar Mishra, Adv.
Ms. Reema Roy, Adv.
Ms. Neelima Bagoria, Adv.
Mrs. Smerity Rani, Adv.
Mrs. Sabika Ahmad, Adv.
Ms. Anjani Suri, Adv.
Mr. Shafiq Khan, Adv.
Mr. Deependra Kumar Pathak, Adv.
Ms. Lakshmi, Adv.
Mr. Nischal Kumar Neeraj, AOR
Ms. Deepanwita Priyanka, AOR
Ms. Aastha Mehta, Adv.
Mr. Deepak Singh, Adv.
Ms. Priyal Sheth, Adv.
Ms. Ankita Sharma, AOR
Mr. Arjun D Singh, Adv.
Ms. Ishika Neogi, Adv.
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Mr. Kumar Dushyant Singh, AOR
Mr. A. Venayagam Balan, AOR
Mr. Balraj Singh Malik, Adv.
Mr. Ratan Singh, Adv.
Mr. Sourabh Sharma, Adv.
Dr. Pratap Singh Nerwal, AOR
Mr. S. S. Shroff, AOR
Ms. Astha Tyagi, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Jha, AOR
M/S. M. V. Kini & Associates, AOR
Ms. Manju Jetley, AOR
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Mr. Chitransh Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Chitvan Singhal, Adv.
Mr. Madhav Sinhal, Adv.
Ms. Chitrangda Rashtravara, Adv.
Mr. Kanu Agrawal, Adv.
Ms. Shivika Mehra, Adv.
Mr. Arvind Kumar Sharma-aor, Adv.
Mr. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Adv.
Mr. Shubhranshu Padhi, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Amrish Kumar, AOR
Mr. Nishit Agrawal, AOR
Mr. Raghvendra Kumar, AOR
Mr. Anando Mukherjee, AOR
Mr. Shwetank Singh, Adv.
Ms. Sanjivani Aggarwal, Adv.
Ms. Jyoti Aggarwal, Adv.
Mr. Pradeep Shekhawat, Adv.
Ms. Filza Moonis, AOR
Mr. Divyanshu Kumar Srivastava, AOR
Mr. Adarsh Tripathi , AOR
Mr. Rajiv Yadav, AOR
Ms. Madhumita Bhattacharjee, AOR
Ms. Debarati Sadhu, Adv.
Ms. Yoowanka Rymbai, Adv.
Mr. Ayush Sharma, AOR
Mr. Gopal Jha, AOR
Mr. Pradeep Misra, AOR
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Mr. Daleep Dhyani, Adv.
Mr. Suraj Singh, Adv.
Mr. Manish Kumar, AOR
Mr. Divyansh Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Ravi Shanker Jha, Adv.
Mr. Harsh V. Surana, AOR
Mr. Joydeep Roy, A.A.G.
Mr. Veer Vikrant, D.A.G.
Mr. Yashraj Singh Bundela, AOR
Mrs. Pratima Singh, Adv.
Ms. Saloni Singh, Adv.
Mr. Arpit Garg, Adv.
Mr. Pulkit Agarwal, AOR
Mr. S S Bandyopadhyay, Adv.
Mr. Syed Miran Ahmad, Adv.
Mrs. Barnali Basak, Adv.
Ms. Riya Soni, Adv.
Mr. B C Bhatt, Adv.
Ms. Swati Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Raj Kumar Mishra, Adv.
Ms. Palak Joshi, Adv.
Ms. Thithiksha Padmam, Adv.
Ms. Twinkle Rathi, Adv.
Mr. Gaurav Mani Tripathi, Adv.
Ms. Swagoti Batchas, Adv.
Mr. Om Prakash Sapra, Adv.
Mr. Hukumdeo Prasad, Adv.
Mr. Nitin Prabhakar, Adv.
Mr. Vinod Kumar Shukla, Adv.
Mr. Boya Kranthi Naidu, Adv.
Mr. Satish Kumar, AOR
Ms. Ameyavikrama Thanvi , AOR
Miss Aanchal Jain, AOR
Ms. K. Enatoli Sema, AOR
Ms. K. Enatoli Sema, Adv.
Mr. Amit Kumar Singh, Adv.
Ms. Chubalemla Chang, Adv.
Mr. Prang Newmai, Adv.
Ms. Yanmi Phazang, Adv.
Mr. Anas Tanwir, AOR
Ms. Puja Sharma, AOR
Mr. Shishir Deshpande, AOR
Mr. D.kumanan, AOR
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Ms. Jyoti Mendiratta, AOR
Ms. Ananya Basudha, Adv.
Ms. Rakhi Ray, AOR
Ms. Ishita Jain , AOR
Mr. Manish Kumar Gupta, AOR
Mr. Sravan Kumar Karanam, AOR
Mr. Kumar Nikhil, Adv.
Ms. Sushmita, Adv.
Mr. Vinayak Sharma, Standing Counsel, Adv.
Mr. Ravinder Kumar Yadav, AOR
Mr. Kartikey, Adv.
Mr. Paras Juneja, Adv.
Ms. Kritika Yadav, Adv.
Mr. M. P. Devanath, AOR
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Jasneet Kaur, Adv.
Ms. Srishti Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Sumeet Mishra, Adv.
Mr. R. C. Kohli, AOR
Mr. Rishi Matoliya, AOR
Mr. Anurag Kishore, AOR
Ms. Mayuri Raghuvanshi, AOR
Mr. Neeraj Kumar Gupta, AOR
Ms. Pritha Srikumar Iyer, AOR
Ms. Rooh-e-hina Dua, AOR
Ms. Vrinda Bhandari, AOR
Ms. Charu Mathur, AOR
Mr. Shrirang B. Varma, Adv.
Mr. Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Adv.
Mr. Aaditya Aniruddha Pande, AOR
Mr. Kailash Prashad Pandey, AOR
Mr. Varun Varma, Adv.
Mr. Hitesh Kumar Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Amit Kumar Chawla, Adv.
Mr. Rajesh Singh, Adv.
Mr. Mahi Pal Singh, Adv.
Mr. Akhileshwar Jha, Adv.
Ms. Shreya Jha, Adv.
Ms. Manisha Chawla, Adv.
Ms. Niharika Dwivedi, Adv.
Ms. Swati Vishan, Adv.
Mr. Rakesh Vishan, Adv.
Mr. Javed Raza, Adv.
Mr. Ishank Ranjan, Adv.
14
Mr. Prakhar Shukla, Adv.
Mr. Jatin Malik, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Kumar Solanki, Adv.
Ms. Ritika Raj, Adv.
Mr. Dilip Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Sandeep Singh Dingra, Adv.
Mr. Sanjay Upadhyay, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Eisha K., Adv.
Ms. Lalita Kaushik, Adv.
Mr. G. Sanyal, Adv.
Ms. Mansi Bachan, Adv.
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
O R D E R
1. This matter is listed today before us so as to enable the State Governments to report compliance to the various directions issued by this Court regarding the filling up of vacant posts in the State Pollution Control Boards. We will examine the position with regard to compliance in respect of each of the States as under.
2. Insofar as the State of Haryana is concerned, an affidavit has been filed by one Mr. Anurag Rastogi, Chief Secretary of the State of Haryana dated 12.09.2025.
3. In the said affidavit, it is stated that as on 27.08.2024, there were 173 vacant posts. However, owing to the efforts of the State Government and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, the vacancy has been reduced to 44. It is further submitted that the process for filling up the remaining vacancies has already been initiated by requesting the Haryana State Public Service Commission to take necessary 15 steps.
4. Ms. Aparajita Singh, learned Amicus Curiae, however, submits that the time of the year where pollution levels peak will commence shortly and in the absence of the requisite manpower, the adverse impact of pollution may not be effectively controlled.
5. In the affidavit, the State of Haryana has also stated that a circular is being issued for filling up the vacant posts on deputation by relaxing the eligibility criteria.
6. We direct the State of Haryana to fill up the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
7. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
8. A copy of this order shall be communicated to the Haryana State Public Service Commission to ensure compliance with the time-lines.
9. Insofar as the State of Punjab is concerned, Shri Rahul Mehra, learned senior counsel appearing for the State of 16 Punjab, submits that though there were initially 300 vacant posts, the number has now been reduced to 43. He further submits that the process for filling up the remaining posts is also under process.
10. We direct the State of Punjab to fill up the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
11. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
12. Insofar as the State of Uttar Pradesh is concerned, Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, learned Additional Solicitor General appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh states that though there were 732 vacant posts, the number has now been reduced to 166. She further submits that the process for filling up the remaining posts has already commenced.
13. We direct the State of Uttar Pradesh to fill up the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts 17 shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
14. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
15. Insofar as the State of Rajasthan is concerned, Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, learned Additional Advocate General appearing for the State of Rajasthan states that though there were 808 vacant posts, the number has now been reduced to 158. He further submits that the process for filling up the remaining posts has already been commenced.
16. We direct the State of Rajasthan to fill up the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
17. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
18. Insofar as the Central Pollution Control Board (for short “CPCB”) is concerned, Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, learned Additional 18 Solicitor General appearing for the CPCB states that there are 603 sanctioned posts. Out of these, a majority have been filled and only 158 posts remain vacant. She further submits that the process for filling up the remaining posts is underway.
19. We direct the CPCB to fill up the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
20. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
21. Insofar as the Commission for Air Quality Management (for short “CAQM”) in National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas is concerned, Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, learned Additional Solicitor General appearing for the CAQM states that the posts of Full-Time Member and the Member Secretary are vacant. She, however, submits that said two posts shall be filled up within a period of one month from today.
22. Insofar as the remaining direct recruitment posts (except the promotional posts) are concerned, the same shall be filled 19 up within a period of three months from today and that at least for a period of next three months, the vacant posts shall be filled either by deputation or by engaging employees on a contractual basis so that the issues relating to pollution may be effectively addressed.
23. Insofar as the promotional posts are concerned, the entire procedure shall be completed within a period of six months from today.
24. It has been noticed that over the last several years, on account of the high pollution index, this Court was compelled to pass various orders, including the introduction of Graded Response Action Plan (for short “GRAP”) which result in stopping various activities, including the construction work. Stopping of the construction activities also has other consequences as the workforce arriving from different parts of the country is left without employment during this period.
25. Though Ms. Aparajita Singh, learned Amicus Curiae, submitted on the last date that the compensation is paid to such workers by the States, it has been brought to our notice that various applications have been filed before this Court alleging that the compensation is not properly paid.
26. We are also informed in one of the proceedings that pursuant to the GRAP orders, a large number of vehicles are stopped at entry points in Delhi and that the emission from 20 these vehicles is one of the major factors contributing to pollution.
27. We are, therefore, of the considered view that rather than issuing such prohibitory orders, it would be more appropriate that preventive measures are undertaken by all stakeholders, including the Central Government, all the concerned States, the Pollution Control Boards and the CAQM.
28. We, therefore, direct the CAQM to hold joint deliberation with all the concerned States and come out with a concrete plan suggesting certain preventive measures to control pollution, instead of relying solely on prohibitory orders. The same shall be done within a period of three weeks from today.
29. List these matters on 08.10.2025.
IA Nos. 232330 & 232332 of 2025 in W.P.(C) No. 13029 of 1985
1. Learned counsel for the applicant(s) seeks permission to withdraw these applications with liberty to take such remedy as may be permissible in law.
2. Permission is granted.
3. Hence, the applications are disposed of as withdrawn with liberty as prayed for.
(DEEPAK SINGH) (ANU BHALLA)
ASTT. REGISTRAR-cum-PS COURT MASTER (NSH)
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