SC signals time-bound firecracker use during Diwali, rules out blanket ban

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said a complete ban could hurt the sentiments of people celebrating Diwali, while allowing firecrackers throughout the day would adversely affect the environment and vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly and the sick.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated it would permit the use of certain firecrackers during Diwali but impose specified time limits, ruling out both a blanket ban and unrestricted bursting of crackers. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said a complete ban could hurt the sentiments of people celebrating Diwali, while allowing firecrackers throughout the day would adversely affect the environment and vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly and the sick.

“We are neither going to agree for a total ban nor allow them to do it for 24 hours,” the court said, stressing the need to strike a balance by prescribing specific timings for bursting permissible firecrackers. The apex court was hearing a long-pending matter concerning restrictions on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR and other northern states during the period of severe air pollution.

The bench also indicated that it was inclined to accept a suggestion to permit joint firecrackers, or ‘larri’, subject to conditions. “We are inclined to accept the suggestions made,” it recorded in its order. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati sought time till October 15 to place on record the CPCB’s report on barium-based firecrackers, saying outdoor testing of such crackers was yet to be conducted.

The bench granted the time sought and said it would consider the report before deciding which categories of firecrackers could be permitted. In July, the apex court had asked the CPCB on whether certain categories of firecrackers could be allowed with a possible relaxation in noise-related restrictions.

The proceedings arise from a 2015 case in which the Supreme Court has issued a series of directions regulating the manufacture, sale and use of firecrackers, particularly in view of deteriorating air quality in Delhi and neighbouring regions. While the Court had earlier imposed a blanket prohibition on firecracker use in Delhi, it subsequently permitted the sale and bursting of approved green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during a limited period around Diwali in 2025. (ANI)