Supreme Court allows firecrackers on Diwali with conditions; bans online sale

The Supreme Court ruled out imposing a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers during Diwali but put certain conditions in place for the sale and use of firecrackers. In its order, a bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and AK Sikri said that it is permitting the sale and manufacture of ‘green’ crackers which have low emission across the country. The court, however, imposed a complete ban on the online sale of firecrackers and restrained e-commerce websites from selling firecrackers. Besides, it also fixed 8 pm to 10 pm time period for the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali and other festivals. “Firecrackers with permissible decibel sound limits will only be allowed to be sold in the market,” the court observed. “E-commerce websites will be hauled up for contempt of court if they don’t adhere to the court’s direction,” it added. The court said that SHOs of police station concerned will be held liable if banned firecrackers are sold in their area. Further, the top court asked the Centre to encourage community cracker bursting during Diwali and other festivals in Delhi-NCR. Besides, it also directed all states to explore feasibility of community cracker bursting during festivals. The Supreme Court’s order came on a plea seeking a complete ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country during Diwali to curb air pollution. Source: Financial Express