Supreme Court reserves verdict as NCR proposes time limits for bursting green crackers on Diwali

The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its decision on pleas seeking permission to manufacture and sell green firecrackers in Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR).

A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran heard arguments from multiple stakeholders, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the NCR states. Mehta asked the court to allow the use of green firecrackers during festivals such as Diwali, Gurpurab, and Christmas, proposing a framework that balances celebrations with environmental concerns.

Regarding Diwali, Mehta told the bench that bursting of green crackers should be permitted only between 8 pm and 10 pm. "We have made suggestions," he said, adding that the states had proposed a measured approach for the court’s consideration.


He further said that the use of firecrackers in the NCR could be allowed under certain conditions, including that only green crackers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) be manufactured and sold. Mehta added that the NCR states, along with the Delhi government and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), would ensure that joint firecrackers, or ‘laris’, are neither produced, sold, nor used.

Mehta also recommended that crackers be sold exclusively through licensed traders who stock only approved varieties. "It shall be ensured by the NCR state governments, GNCTD and PESO that no e-commerce website, including Flipkart, Amazon etc, shall accept any online order and effect any online sale," he said.

For other occasions, he suggested narrow time windows: on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, bursting of crackers should be allowed from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am. For Gurpurab, the suggested timings were 4 am to 5 am in the morning and 9 pm to 10 pm at night. He also said that green crackers may be permitted for marriages and other personal celebrations.

Earlier, on September 26, the Supreme Court had allowed certified manufacturers to produce green crackers but prohibited their sale in restricted NCR areas without prior approval, while directing the Centre to review the existing ban on firecracker manufacturing in the region.

The NCR encompasses Delhi and 16 districts across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The states’ proposals aim to allow festival celebrations while addressing air pollution and public health concerns in the region.