The Supreme Court on Friday hinted at lifting the ban on bursting of green crackers in the National Capital Region for Diwali. A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran reserved its order and said it will decide on relaxing the complete ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. “For the time being, we will allow lifting of the ban during Diwali,” the bench remarked.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi-NCR and Haryana, requested the bench to lift the ban imposed on firecrackers. He requested the Supreme Court to allow bursting of green firecrackers between 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali. He said that on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, between 11.45 pm to 12.30 am and for one hour on Guru Parv. event organized He suggested a balanced approach which the Court could consider.
The Solicitor General further said that PESO and NEERI will inspect the manufacturing of firecrackers from time to time and ensure that only approved green fire formulations are sold in the market. The Solicitor General said that only green firecrackers approved by NEERI will be allowed.
He said that composite firecrackers will not be manufactured, sold and used in NCR. He said the sale would be through licensed traders and the sale would be done only through permitted manufacturers.
He said manufacturers will have to mention the quantity and description of green crackers. Mehta also suggested that e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart should not accept online orders or facilitate online sale of green crackers.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, amicus curiae assisting the bench in the matter, expressed concern over “fake green crackers” being sold under false labels, which continue to use polluting chemicals. During the hearing, the top court also asked whether there has been any improvement in the AQI from 2018 to 2024.
Mehta said it remained the same, except during the Covid-19 lockdown period, in which the AQI improved. On September 26, the apex court had allowed the manufacture of green firecrackers in Delhi on the condition that they would not be sold in the NCR. The Supreme Court was hearing a case related to air pollution in the National Capital Region.