India, Nov. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Friday expressed strong reservations about shutting schools or shifting children to online education as Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the 'severe' category, saying it would rather rely on expert recommendations underpinning the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) than anecdotal research or independent opinions.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana said it was reluctant to impose restrictions on children attending school, stressing that physical classrooms offered a better quality of education and that the consequences of moving to online learning, including unequal access, had to be considered.

"We are loathe to put restrictions on chil...