The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a plea seeking a ban on firecrackers to reduce pollution levels, particularly in the Delhi-NCR region. The court has directed the Delhi Police not to issue temporary licences for the sale of firecrackers in the national capital.
A bench comprising Justice AS Bopanna and Justice MM Sundresh stated, “We have to see what level of work has been done over the years and whether any additional directions are required to be issued. We see that most of the aspects have been taken care of by various orders passed by this court from time to time.” “When there is a ban imposed by the government, it means a complete ban. Just ensure that no temporary licences are given by the Delhi police. Giving licences of any kind will be in violation of our orders,” it added.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, was told by the bench. Bhati explained that since the apex court’s 2018 order, which banned conventional firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region, significant progress has been made, and only green firecrackers are permitted. She clarified that no permanent licences for the sale of firecrackers have been issued since 2016, and the temporary licences that were issued are for green crackers. These licences also get suspended when the government imposes a complete ban. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing a group of minors who filed the original petition in 2015 seeking a complete ban on firecrackers, stated that he is not pushing for a complete ban but rather the prohibition of firecrackers containing barium, which is harmful. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing firecracker manufacturers, mentioned that they are using a formulation recommended by CSIR-NEERI and other government bodies, including barium nitrate, which has been approved as an oxidizer.
