'Why Wait Until Last Minute?': AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj Questions SC Order Allowing Green Crackers On Diwali - VIDEO

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the Supreme Court's last-minute approval of green firecrackers for Diwali in Delhi-NCR. In an interview to ANI, Bharadwaj questioned why the court decided on the matter so close to the festival, which this year falls on November 8. He expressed concerns over the availability and authenticity of green crackers, doubting whether manufacturers had prepared certified products in advance or would simply rebrand conventional firecrackers as green ones.

Bharadwaj also alleged that past relaxations were plagued by corruption, claiming that corrupt police officers had allowed conventional crackers to be sold as green firecrackers for personal gain. He accused the central government and the Delhi government of complicity in irregularities, pointing out that air quality monitoring stations had been shut down unexpectedly.

Bharadwaj sarcastically remarked, "Dilliwaale Ram bharose hain" (The people of Delhi trust only one thing), criticizing the authorities' management of air pollution.

The Supreme Court's order, dated October 29, permitted the bursting of certified green firecrackers between 6 am and 7 am and 8 pm and 10 pm on November 7 and 8. The court's bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale also banned firecrackers within 300 meters of hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare centers, old-age homes, and designated silence zones.

The court clarified that a complete ban on firecrackers would resume from November 9, and prohibited barium-based crackers, uncertified firecrackers, and series crackers or "ladis."