The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) during the Diwali festival with severe restrictions.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai permitted the sale of green firecrackers for three days from October 18 to 20, while bursting is allowed only for three hours each on two days.
“Use of firecrackers shall be confined to 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on the day before Diwali and on Diwali day,” the order said.
The bench directed police authorities to constitute a patrolling team, including officers from State Pollution Control Board, to ensure only National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)-permitted products with QR codes are sold. “Violation notice to be attached for persons who violate the rules,” it said.
The court also made it clear that there shall be no supply of firecrackers from ecommerce websites.
Sale shall be only permitted from the designated locations in the entire NCR, which shall be identified by district collector and given wide publicity. Also, only licensed vendors who are registered with NEERI will be allowed to sell.
The court further said the patrol teams must ensure that only permitted products with QR code are sold. They should also take random samples for the purpose of analysing. Violation notice shall be attached to those involved in manufacture or sale of prohibited products whose license shall stand cancelled;
District administration and police must ensure that use of firecrackers is confined between 6 am – 7 am and 8 pm – 10 pm on the day before Diwali and on Diwali.
Also, there shall be no firecrackers allowed in the NCR region from outside the said region.
The bench passed the directions after considering the fact that a complete ban leads to smuggling of crackers, causing more damage to air quality.
“Conventional firecrackers are smuggled, which cause more damage,” it said. “We have to take a balanced approach. Out of 22 districts in Haryana, 14 districts fall in NCR. When the ban was imposed, there was not much difference in air quality except during COVID period.”
The court further observed that over six years, green crackers have substantially reduced emission. “From October 14, 2024 to January 1, 2025 complete ban on manufacture was imposed,” it noted while easing the ban.
The ban was imposed due to deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.
On green crackers, the Supreme Court in April this year had said unless it is satisfied that the pollution caused by them is minimal, there is no question of reconsidering the earlier orders.
In September, though, the court permitted the manufacturing of green firecrackers, but continued the restriction on their sale in prohibited areas.
Green crackers do not use certain hazardous chemicals like barium nitrate. They reduce emissions by about 30-50 per cent compared to conventional crackers. They are also required to adhere to a sound limit.
