NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — The Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the absolute ban on firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR, allowing the sale and use of green crackers during Diwali from October 18 to 21 under strict conditions.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, with Justice K Vinod Chandran, said the use of crackers will be restricted to 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on the day before Diwali and on Diwali itself. Police authorities have been directed to form patrolling teams to ensure only permitted products with QR codes are sold, while unapproved crackers will be confiscated.
“There shall be no supply of firecrackers through e-commerce websites,” the Bench added. Only crackers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) can be sold, and sales are allowed only at designated locations identified by District Collectors and Commissioners in consultation with police, which must be widely publicized.
CJI Gavai noted the need for a balanced approach: “When the ban was imposed, there was not much difference in air quality, except during the Covid period…Out of 22 districts in Haryana, 14 fall in NCR.”
The order follows the Supreme Court’s 2018 verdict in Arjun Gopal’s case, which permitted less-polluting green crackers sold only through licensed traders, banned online sales, and fixed timings for bursting crackers during Diwali.
Earlier, on October 10, the top court had hinted at relaxing the ban on manufacture, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers in NCR during the festive season, while a September 26 hearing had observed that a complete ban was “hardly implemented” and not “practical or ideal.”
The move comes after requests from the Centre, Delhi Government, and firecracker manufacturers to modify the April 3 order, which had imposed a year-long blanket ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, including green crackers, due to high pollution levels.
The Supreme Court’s order applies to Delhi and the NCR districts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, allowing citizens to celebrate Diwali with environmentally safer alternatives under regulated conditions.
