Supreme Court of India seeks balance on Diwali firecracker use

The Supreme Court of India has indicated it will adopt a balanced approach regarding the use of firecrackers during the Diwali festival, rejecting both a total ban and unrestricted 24-hour use. A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale noted that while a complete prohibition could hurt religious sentiments, allowing continuous bursting would adversely affect the environment and vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and the sick.

The Court intends to prescribe specific time windows for bursting permissible firecrackers. Discussions are also underway regarding the potential conditional relaxation of rules for ‘next-generation joined green crackers’ developed by CSIR-NEERI, which are designed with reduced barium salts to lower emissions. The Court is also considering the use of certain ‘larri’ (linked) firecrackers, subject to specific conditions.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati has requested time until October 15 to submit a report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) concerning the presence of barium in firecrackers and the results of outdoor testing. The Court will review this report before issuing final directions on the permissible categories and timings of firecrackers.