Supreme Court relaxes Delhi fireworks ban for Diwali, designates time for ‘green crackers’

The Supreme Court has eased its ban on fireworks for Diwali in Delhi-NCR, allowing the sale of certified "green crackers" during specific time slots. On November 7 and 8, certified green crackers can be purchased and used only between 6 am and 7 am, and 8 pm and 10 pm. The court clarified that the temporary relaxation will end on November 8, with the full ban on firecrackers reinstated from November 9.

The court directed authorities to ensure that firecracker bursting is restricted to the designated time frame. Additionally, green crackers can only be manufactured and sold by manufacturers who possess valid certification from the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The manufacturers are permitted to produce only those green crackers uploaded on the CSIR-NEERI website between November 2 and 6.

The court emphasized that the complete ban on conventional firecrackers, imposed earlier, will be reinstated from November 9. Any areas within a 300-meter radius of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centers, old-age homes, and notified silence zones will be designated as "No-Cracker Zones," where no crackers will be allowed. Educational institutions are also subject to similar restrictions.

The bench ordered that licenses of traders found to have sold unauthorized firecrackers will be canceled, and they will be prohibited from selling firecrackers during the remaining period. All green crackers must be sealed to prevent mixing with unauthorized or conventional crackers. Each box should contain a QR code, and only crackers with product-specific QR codes should be sold.

The court reiterated that while bursting firecrackers contributes to pollution, the issue lies in the implementation. It acknowledged that better coordination among stakeholders is necessary and stressed the importance of monitoring the situation beyond the festival period. The court noted that despite the full ban in 2024, conventional firecrackers continued to be sold under the guise of green crackers, indicating a need for stricter enforcement.