The Supreme Court on Tuesday raised concerns over reports of firecrackers being sold openly in Delhi markets despite restrictions imposed by the court ahead of Diwali.
Referring to a media report documenting
the alleged violations, a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale asked the Centre to examine the matter.
Addressing Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, Justice Sundresh pointed to the newspaper report and said, “In today’s report on Hindustan Times there’s a photograph, they say that notwithstanding yesterday’s order, now everything is available in the (firecracker) shops. Please look into it.”
The judge also drew attention to the reported availability of both licensed and unlicensed products, including those without QR codes.
“They say that in the market every other cracker, licensed, unlicensed, QR code, or no QR code, everything is available. Please take a note of it,” Justice Sundresh said.
What The Supreme Court Has Allowed
On November 2, the Supreme Court permitted the sale of certified green firecrackers across Delhi-NCR from November 4 to 6, with their use allowed only on November 7 and 8.
The permitted bursting hours are restricted to two windows: 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm. The court also directed that a complete ban on firecrackers be reinstated from November 9.
Under the directions, only firecrackers certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) can be manufactured and sold.
Sales have been restricted to designated locations, with online sales prohibited. Every box must carry a product-specific QR code to establish its certification. The court has also barred the manufacture of firecracker strings, commonly known as laris, and crackers containing barium.
Report Flags Sales In Delhi Markets
The Hindustan Times report, published on November 3, documented the sale of firecrackers in several parts of the capital, including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Shastri Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and New Friends Colony.
Based on visits to these markets on October 22 and November 2, the report found that vendors were displaying products advertised as green, pollution-free and zero-pollution crackers. Conventional firecrackers were allegedly being offered separately when customers asked for them.
It also highlighted instances of packaging without QR codes, while some codes reportedly redirected buyers to online catalogues rather than pages verifying the products’ certification. In certain cases, vendors were allegedly keeping conventional crackers out of sight and producing them on request.
The Supreme Court has been examining a series of applications on restrictions governing the manufacture, sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR amid concerns over air pollution.
In its latest order, the court observed that earlier blanket bans had not succeeded in stopping the illegal sale and use of conventional firecrackers, with such products allegedly being passed off as green crackers. It also flagged shortcomings in the enforcement of its previous directions.
