Supreme Court allows sale, use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Deepavali

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) relaxed its earlier blanket prohibition and permitted the sale and use of green firecrackers” in the Delhi–National Capital Region (NCR), subject to stringent conditions.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran allowed the sale of green firecrackers between October 18 and October 21, stipulating that sales must take place only at designated locations. The court further restricted their use to the hours between 6-7 am and 8-10 pm.

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The Bench made it clear that the sale of firecrackers through e-commerce platforms would remain strictly prohibited.

Explaining the rationale behind its decision, the court observed that an absolute ban had proven counterproductive, leading to the smuggling of conventional firecrackers that inflicted far greater damage on air quality. “Conventional firecrackers are smuggled, which causes more damage. We have to take a balanced approach,” the Bench said.

In an earlier hearing, the Bench had signalled that it might revisit its April 3 order, which had imposed a year-long ban on the manufacture, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers in the national capital. That order, passed by a Division Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, had reasoned that a limited seasonal restriction would serve little purpose, as sales and use of firecrackers would simply continue outside the restricted period.

The petitioners, including the Federation of Fireworks Traders, the Association of Fireworks (Haryana), and the Indic Collective Trust, had contended that the ban was arbitrary and lacked a scientific basis. They had argued that stubble burning and vehicular emissions were far greater contributors to Delhi’s winter smog.

Last month, the Supreme Court had allowed manufacturers with valid certifications from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to resume production of green firecrackers, while maintaining the restriction on their sale within the NCR. The court had then observed that a blanket ban, in the absence of an effective enforcement mechanism, was impractical, and had directed the government to propose a more balanced regulatory framework.

Subsequently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) informed the court that enforcement gaps persisted. It highlighted that certain manufacturers were allegedly selling QR codes to unlicensed producers and that no robust mechanism existed to verify whether certified firecrackers were actually being sold in the market.