Luke Coutinho Files PIL in Supreme Court Demanding Urgent Action on India's Air Pollution Crisis
Integrative coach Luke Coutinho filed a PIL in India's Supreme Court calling air pollution a national public health emergency that violates citizens' right to clean air under Article 21. The petition highlights hazardous PM2.5 levels up to 20 times WHO limits, weak law enforcement, underutilized funds, and rural pollution sources. It demands judicial directives for strict actions, better monitoring, and integration of air quality with health policies.
Luke Coutinho, an integrative health coach and Wellness Champion for the Prime Minister’s Fit India Movement, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court of India urging urgent, time-bound action against the escalating air pollution crisis across the country. The petition stresses that India’s worsening air quality constitutes a national health emergency and violates the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. It documents persistently high PM2.5 pollution in Northern Indian cities such as Delhi, Lucknow, and Patna, which record concentrations 20 times above the WHO safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. The PIL points to both urban and rural pollution sources, with biomass fuel emissions contributing significantly in rural areas, making the crisis nationwide rather than localized. Despite existing frameworks like the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP, 2019), enforcement has been weak, and funds released for pollution mitigation remain underutilized; less than 1% of allocated funds target industrial emissions or public health. The petition accuses authorities of focusing on cosmetic measures such as anti-smog guns instead of addressing root causes like vehicular emissions and crop-residue burning. Coutinho calls for the constitution of an independent expert committee, expansion of air quality monitoring, source apportionment studies, binding pollution-control deadlines, and integration of air quality standards with national health and school safety policies to defend citizens' right to clean air and improve public health outcomes.
