India, March 13 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday formally disposed of the landmark 1985 public interest litigation filed by environmentalist MC Mehta that led to nearly four decades of continuous judicial oversight on pollution control in Delhi - from the conversion of the city's bus fleet to CNG to restrictions on firecrackers and the phasing out of older commercial vehicles.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi closed Writ Petition No. 13029/1985, noting that the proceedings had involved continuous mandamus for nearly 40 years, resulting in numerous directions on vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, waste management and other environmental issues.

To be sure, the ...