The court took up the case on its own, as the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was left in anguish on the response of the state machinery in combating air pollution, which resulted in a public health emergency in the national capital.
The suo motu case titled "alarming rise in air pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas" will come up for hearing along with other matters on pollution.
The Supreme Court on Monday passed a slew of directions in connection with air pollution while expressing its displeasure over the failure of the Centre and state machinery to deal with the problem.
"You can postpone the Assembly, but people cannot be left to die," said a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra while seeking the presence of chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on those carrying out construction and demolition activities flouting a ban on such works.
It also imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on people involved in burning waste. The court made it clear that if violations were to surface, the local administration and zonal officials would be held accountable.
The apex court also roped in SHOs of local police stations to ensure that steps were taken to stop stubble burning.
"It is a shocking state of affairs...There cannot be large scale exodus of people from Delhi. Delhi cannot be evacuated," said the court.
( With inputs from IANS )