India, Nov. 27 -- Hearing pleas in the issue of air quality in Maharashtra's Mumbai, the Bombay high vourt on Thursday said authorities cannot blame ash clouds from the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption in Ethiopia for air pollution in the metropolis.

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad said the air quality index in Mumbai has been poor much before the Ethiopian volcanic ash development, reported PTI news agency.

Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia erupted on Sunday, reportedly for the first time in recorded history, sending ash plume as high as 14 kilometres and as far as the Indian subcontinent.

The ash cloud entered Delhi on Monday evening and drifted towards China, clearing Indian skies, the next day. Th...