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The Supreme Court on Friday indicated lifting restrictions on the bursting of green firecrackers 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 absolute ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. "For the time being, we will permit the ban lifting during Diwali," the bench remarked. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi-NCR and Haryana, requested the Bench to lift the restrictions put on crackers. He requested the apex court to allow the bursting of green firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali. On Christmas and New Year's Eve - between 11.45 pm and 12.30 am, and for one hour on Gurpurab, he said. He suggested a balanced approach that the court may consider. The Solicitor General further stated that PESO and NEERI will periodically inspect the manufacture of crackers and ensure that only approved green fire formulations are sold in the market. SG said only the green cracker approached by NEERI shall be permitted. Joint crackers are not manufactured, sold and used in the NCR, he said, adding that sales shall be through licensed traders and the selling shall be through permitted manufacturers only. He said that manufacturers shall mention the quantity and details of green crackers. Mehta also suggested that e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart should not accept online orders or facilitate any online sale of green crackers. Amicus Curiae senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who was assisting the bench in the matter, expressed concern over "fake green crackers" being sold under false labels, which continued to use polluting chemicals. During the hearing, the apex court also inquired whether there had been any improvement in the AQI from 2018 to 2024. Mehta said it remained the same, except during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the AQI improved. On September 26, the top court allowed the manufacturing of green firecrackers in Delhi, subject to the condition that they will not be sold in the NCR. The apex court was hearing a case related to air pollution in the National Capital Region. (ANI)
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