The Supreme Court has authorized certified manufacturers to produce eco-friendly firecrackers within the Delhi-NCR region, while simultaneously prohibiting their sale in the same area. The court stipulated that only those manufacturers authorized by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) would be permitted. The court also directed the central government to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to devise a solution concerning the existing ban on the sale and storage of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, with a deadline of October 8th. Earlier, the Supreme Court had questioned the selective application of restrictions, pondering whether clean air is a privilege exclusive to the ‘elite’ citizens of the national capital and suggested a uniform implementation of such measures across the entire country. The court’s observations were made during the hearing of petitions related to firecracker regulations in the NCR on September 12, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. These deliberations followed petitions from firecracker manufacturers and citizen groups challenging the April 3, 2025, order, which upheld an earlier directive from December 19, 2024, banning the sale, manufacturing, and storage of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The court emphasized the necessity of a year-round ban given the region’s concerning air quality. Similar restrictions were later adopted by neighboring states within their NCR districts. The initial ban was imposed in 2017 by the National Green Tribunal, supported by the Supreme Court in 2018, and has remained in effect.
