NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it may temporarily lift the existing ban on firecrackers in Delhi during the upcoming Diwali festival, even as it reserved its final decision on whether certified green crackers will be permitted.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran said, “For the time being, we will permit the ban lifting during Diwali,” signaling a possible relaxation for festival celebrations in the national capital.
The observation came during a hearing on the Delhi government’s plea seeking approval to allow the use of environmentally certified green crackers during the festivities. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing before the court, assured that strict safeguards would be put in place—sales would be conducted only through licensed traders, and manufacturing would be limited to entities certified by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
In an earlier order on September 26, the same bench had provisionally allowed certified manufacturers to produce green crackers in the Delhi–NCR region but prohibited their sale in restricted zones pending further direction from the court.
The issue of firecracker regulation has been under judicial scrutiny for several years. In April, a separate Supreme Court bench led by Justices Abhay S. Oka (now retired) and Ujjal Bhuyan had observed that temporary bans imposed for only three or four months each year were ineffective. The judges stated that exemptions, even for green crackers, should not be granted unless there was clear evidence that they caused minimal pollution.
Citing the constitutional right to health under Article 21, the court reaffirmed that citizens have the right to live in a pollution-free environment, noting that Delhi’s air quality remains among the most hazardous globally, especially during winter months and festive seasons.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court extended the bans imposed by the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments on firecracker use within the National Capital Region (NCR). It emphasized that such restrictions should apply uniformly across neighboring states to ensure effectiveness.
Last November, following widespread violations of the firecracker ban in Delhi after Diwali, the court had criticized the city government for poor enforcement and demanded an affidavit detailing the steps taken to curb illegal sales and imports from adjacent states.
The bench is now expected to issue a formal ruling in the coming days on whether limited use of certified green crackers will be permitted during Diwali. For now, the court’s remarks suggest a temporary reprieve for celebrants, balanced with conditions intended to minimize pollution in the capital’s already fragile air environment. (Source: IANS)
