SC rejects urgent hearing plea on Delhi firecracker ban

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined an urgent hearing of a plea filed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenging the Delhi government’s decision to ban the sale, purchase and usage of firecrackers during the festive season in the national capital.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah, while refusing the request for an urgent hearing, observed, “Let people breathe clean air”. The bench said there are other ways to celebrate festivals. “Spend your money on sweets,” said the apex court after advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha, appearing for Tiwari, mentioned the matter for urgent listing.

Earlier, the top court had refused to lift the ban on firecrackers in Delhi, saying the court had already passed a detailed order regarding the usage of firecrackers and would not vacate the previous order.

It had tagged Tiwari’s plea with the other pending cases. Tiwari had challenged the Delhi government’s decision to ban the production, storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers to curb the rising pollution levels in the national capital.

Tiwari sought directions from the Aam Aadmi Party government to issue fresh guidelines with regard to the sale, purchase, and bursting of permissible firecrackers during the upcoming festive season.

The BJP MP also sought directions to all states not to take any coercive action like lodging FIR against ordinary people found selling or using permissible firecrackers.

In the plea filed through advocates Ashwani Kumar Dubey and Shashank Shekhar Jha, it was stated that “in the name of the right to life, freedom of religion cannot be taken away and that a balance has to be struck like that has been done through the decision of this Court dated October 29, 2021.”

According to a report, production of firecrackers has been 60 percent as compared to the last two years’ production. After the ban, the impact would be around Rs 800 crore more in losses.