The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it may temporarily lift restrictions on the bursting of green firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) during Diwali.
A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran reserved its order and said it would decide on relaxing the absolute ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.
“For the time being, we will permit the ban lifting during Diwali,” the bench remarked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi-NCR and Haryana, urged the court to lift the restrictions and allow the bursting of green crackers between the two-hour time frame of 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali.
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He also proposed time limits for other festivals — “on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, between 11.45 pm and 12.30 am, and for one hour on Gurpurab.”
Balanced approach for cracker: Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta suggested a balanced approach and assured the court that PESO and NEERI would “periodically inspect the manufacture of crackers and ensure that only approved green fire formulations are sold in the market.”
{{/usCountry}}Tushar Mehta suggested a balanced approach and assured the court that PESO and NEERI would “periodically inspect the manufacture of crackers and ensure that only approved green fire formulations are sold in the market.”
{{/usCountry}}The Solicitor General added that only green crackers approved by NEERI should be allowed.
He stated that “joint crackers are not manufactured, sold and used in the NCR” and said sales should only be through licensed traders and permitted manufacturers.
“Manufacturers shall mention the quantity and details of green crackers,” he added.
Mehta also suggested that “e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart should not accept online orders or facilitate any online sale of green crackers.”
AQI and firecrackers in Diwali
Amicus Curiae senior advocate Aparajita Singh expressed concerns regarding some “fake green crackers” being sold under false labels that continued to use polluting chemicals.
During the hearing, the bench also asked questions about whether air quality had improved between 2018 and 2024.
Mehta replied that it “remained the same, except during the COVID-19 lockdown period, when the AQI improved.”
On September 26, the Supreme Court had allowed the manufacturing of green firecrackers in Delhi, on the condition that they would not be sold in the NCR region. The case relates to air pollution in the NCR region.