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4h ago

Supreme Court Signals Diwali Relief, Reserves Order on Delhi‑NCR Firecracker Ban

By reserving its order, the court signaled a shift toward tightly controlled festival-hour use of NEERI‑approved crackers.

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Firecrackers and fireworks release pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides | ANI File
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Overview

  • Chief Justice B. R. Gavai’s bench said a blanket prohibition is neither practical nor ideal and orally indicated a temporary easing for Diwali.
  • Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought limited windows for green crackers: 8–10 pm on Diwali, 11:55 pm–12:30 am on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and one-hour slots on Gurpurab.
  • NCR states proposed safeguards including NEERI/PESO certification, periodic inspections, a bar on joint ‘laris’, sales only via licensed traders, and a ban on e‑commerce sales.
  • Amicus curiae Aparajita Singh warned about counterfeit “green” crackers using banned chemicals and called for strict sampling, testing and enforcement.
  • A September 26 order allowed certified manufacture but not sale in Delhi‑NCR, and the bench said it may revisit the 2018 Arjun Gopal framework after noting CAQM data showing little AQI improvement since 2018.