Supreme Court Allows Sale And Bursting Of Green Firecrackers In Delhi-NCR On Diwali, Relaxes Ban

The Supreme Court has allowed the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for the festival of Diwali.

The Court has allowed the joint request of the Central Government and Delhi Government by relaxing the ban on green firecrackers.

The two-Judge Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran said, “As a temporary measure, we allow bursting of crackers from October 18 to 21."

The Court asked the Central Pollution Control Boards (CPCBs) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) of NCR to monitor the pollution level during Diwali and file reports before it.

“Crackers are smuggled into Delhi-NCR and they cause more damage than green firecrackers”, the CJI said while reading out the operative part of the Order.

The CJI was of the view that the Court has to take a balanced approach, permitting it in moderation while not compromising with the environment.

As per the Order, patrolling teams will be conducting regular checks on cracker manufacturers and their QR codes have to be uploaded on the websites. It further says that no crackers from outside Delhi-NCR can be sold here and if found, the licences of sellers will be suspended.

The detailed Order is awaited.

On October 10 this year, the Apex Court had reserved its Orders on the pleas seeking permission to manufacture and sell green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the National Capital Region States and the Centre, had urged the Supreme Court to permit bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on occasions like Diwali, Guru Purab, and Christmas without any restrictions on the timing.

With PTI Inputs