After a long time, there seems to be a possibility of bursting crackers on Diwali with official permission in Delhi-NCR. The Supreme Court has indicated that it may allow the use of green crackers during Diwali with conditions. The court has reserved the order on the case after hearing for about one and a half hour.
In the last hearing held on September 26, a bench of Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran had given permission to the licensed firecracker manufacturers of the NCR region to manufacture green firecrackers as per the prescribed standards. The court had asked the central government to talk to all parties and find a solution on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. On Friday (October 10, 2025), Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared in the court on behalf of the Central Government. He made these suggestions in the court:-
- Sale of green crackers certified by NEERI and PESO should be allowed.
- Details should be recorded on the boxes of firecrackers in such a way that their authenticity can be confirmed.
- Ban on manufacturing, sale and use of stringed firecrackers should continue
- PESO and NEERI ensure the manufacture of green crackers only with the right formula by regularly inspecting the place of firecracker production.
- Green crackers should be allowed on Diwali, Guru Parv and Christmas.
- There should be no time limit for bursting crackers during the festival so that children and others can enjoy the festival.
What is the matter?
Due to the strict orders of the Supreme Court regarding air pollution, the Delhi government had imposed a complete ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of firecrackers this year. UP and Haryana governments have imposed similar restrictions for other cities of NCR. Many firecracker traders have challenged this. He says he has a valid license, but it is being cancelled.
Reference to 2017 order
The petitioners have said that in the year 2017, the Supreme Court had talked about removing the old firecrackers and allowing green crackers. It was on this order of the court that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) created the formula for less polluting green firecrackers. The Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO) licenses producers who follow this formula.
court questions
During the hearing, the Chief Justice asked whether the AQI has decreased since the year 2018 when firecrackers were banned. In response to this, Tushar Mehta said that it is almost the same as before. Air quality had improved only during Covid, but there were other reasons for that. Some other lawyers said that it is wrong to target only firecrackers by ignoring things like stubble and vehicle pollution.
Limited production and sales signs
Bench member Justice Chandran said that NEERI and PESO have given certificates to only 49 producers. On this, the Solicitor General said that only these 49 should be allowed to produce, but children should be given a chance to be happy on the festival. Senior advocate K Parameshwar, appearing for the firecracker manufacturers, said that the manufacturers will supply firecrackers only to 25-30 wholesalers in Delhi. This can also help in controlling the sale of wrong firecrackers.
‘Ban imposed on many cities’
J Sai Deepak, another lawyer appearing for the firecracker manufacturers, said that due to the problem of just one city, Delhi, firecrackers were banned in 14 cities of Haryana, 8 of UP and 2 of Rajasthan. These states were not even heard. On this the Chief Justice said that he is not in favor of it. There should be a similar policy for all cities.
Permission may be granted for more than one day
During the hearing, some lawyers including the Solicitor General said that Diwali is not a festival of just one day. The time of celebration is also different for people. The court should also keep this in mind while giving permission to green firecrackers. The judges said that they would look into this matter.