The Supreme Court of India has allowed the sale of firecrackers, but with certain conditions.
In its ruling, the SC has not gone in for a blanket ban on firecrackers across the country but has urged people to go green this Diwali. The top court has banned the sale of fireworks through online portals and e-commerce sites, so it will not be possible to have crackers delivered home through stores like Amazon or Flipkart. And, only traders with a specific license can sell firecrackers.
The court has also called for use of "green" crackers with low emission levels and has encouraged community fireworks displays.
In New Delhi, people are allowed to burst firecrackers only in designated areas. On Diwali, fireworks are allowed between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm and for the Christmas and New Year, the allotted time is between 11:45 pm and 12:45 am.
The bench consisted of Justice AK Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan presided over the case, reports the Times. SC was initially supposed to pass this judgement on August 28 and the original plea sought a countrywide ban on firecrackers. It was part of the mission to reduce the worsening air pollution in the country. The SC verdict comes amid reports that India has the top 10 most polluted cities in the world.
SC heard the pleas of the petitioners, the fireworks industry as well as the Centre and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), notes the report. The issue was between the right to health of the people living in cities and the right of livelihood for manufacturers and sellers of firecrackers. There is also the question of the "fundamental right to livelihood" of those involved in the making of the firecrackers.
Fireworks manufacturers had pointed out that bursting of crackers is not the sole cause of all pollution during Diwali and is one of the contributing factors. They argued that an entire industry can't be shut down for contributing to air pollution.
