Supreme Court allows green firecracker production, but maintains ban on sale in Delhi-NCR

PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Friday permitted certified manufacturers to produce green firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region, but prohibited their sale there. Only manufacturers authorised by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) are allowed to produce these eco-friendly firecrackers.

The apex court also instructed the Centre to coordinate with stakeholders and present a plan addressing the sale and storage ban of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR by October 8, 2025.

Earlier this month, while discussing firecracker restrictions in the capital, the Supreme Court questioned the selective application of the ban. Chief Justice BR Gavai noted that clean air should not be a privilege for Delhi alone, but a right across India. “If cities in NCR are entitled to clean air, why not people in other cities? Policies should be implemented nationwide, not just in Delhi for its ‘elite’ citizens,” he said. The Bench, including Justice K Vinod Chandran, was hearing petitions regarding firecracker regulations in NCR since September 12.

The hearings stem from challenges to the Apex Court’s April 3, 2025 order, which upheld a directive from December 19, 2024, banning the sale, manufacture, and storage of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The SC had earlier emphasized a year-round ban due to severe air pollution in the region.

Experts note that a nationwide ban could effectively prohibit all firecrackers, although enforcement may be difficult, as seen in Delhi during Diwali when firecrackers continue to be used illegally. Alternatively, easing restrictions in line with other states could allow legal use of firecrackers in the capital for the first time since 2018.

The original ban was imposed in 2017 by the National Green Tribunal and endorsed by the Supreme Court in 2018, remaining in force since then.