SC Dismisses Pleas for Green Firecrackers and Reiterates 2018 Ban

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed petitions seeking permission to manufacture and sell firecrackers containing barium and joint fireworks.

A bench comprising Justice A S Bopanna and Justice M M Sundresh said that the court has reiterated its 2018 ban and directives concerning the use of traditional firecrackers to combat pollution.

“We are dismissing two applications seeking permission for the production and sale of firecrackers containing barium and joint fireworks. We have not interfered with the 2018 directions and reiterated them,” the bench stated. It emphasized that the relevant authorities must adhere to these directives.

On September 14, while reserving its judgment on a plea aimed at prohibiting firecrackers containing barium to mitigate pollution, particularly in Delhi-NCR, the bench instructed the city police not to issue temporary licenses for the sale and storage of any type of firecrackers. The court noted that since the Delhi government had already banned all firecrackers, there should be no distinction made based on whether they are categorized as “green” or not.

In 2018, the Supreme Court imposed a ban on conventional firecrackers and permitted only the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.