Students Ask Delhi High Court to Bar Outdoor Sports Amid Severe Pollution

A group of school students has approached the Delhi High Court (as Nyasa Bedi Vs Government of Delhi) asking for a ban on outdoor sports events during the months when Delhi’s air pollution reaches its peak. The petition, filed through their guardians, requests the Court to ensure that outdoor sports trials, zonal and inter-zonal tournaments, and other school-level competitions are not organised between November and January — a period when the city’s air quality regularly falls to ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’ levels.

The students argue that despite knowing the pattern of annual winter pollution, government departments and sports bodies continue to schedule major outdoor events. This forces children to take part in intense physical activity in highly polluted air, exposing them to serious health risks. According to the petition, this violates their fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 21A, which guarantee the right to life and the right to education.

The plea highlights that Delhi faces a predictable public-health emergency each year during winter. Medical reports, AQI data and expert studies from the Ministry of Health, WHO and other organisations show that the city’s pollution during this period can severely affect lung growth, cognitive development and heart health in children.

At the time of filing the petition, Delhi was already under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III, with the possibility of moving to Stage IV if air quality worsened further.

The petitioners also point out that the authorities are fully aware of the health impact of winter pollution on schoolchildren. They refer to a 2023 directive issued by the Directorate of Education, which suspended all sports activities due to pollution concerns. However, this suspension was later withdrawn, and sports competitions were again scheduled in the same months. The students allege that this inconsistent approach shows negligence and disregard for children’s right to clean air and safe learning conditions.

While emphasising the importance of sports for physical and mental development, the petition states that such activities should not be conducted at the cost of long-term health damage. It argues that the State must balance these issues responsibly instead of putting students in a situation where they must choose between sports participation and health safety.

The petition asks the Delhi government and sports departments to prepare a yearly sports calendar that avoids scheduling outdoor events for school students during the high-pollution months of November to January.

The petition has been filed through advocates Manjira Dasgupta, Bhargav Ravindran Thali and Mayank Khaitan.