Green Light for Green Crackers: SC Permits Production, But Sales Remain Banned in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court has issued a directive allowing the production of green firecrackers by certified manufacturers within the Delhi-NCR region. However, the court simultaneously imposed a ban on the sale of these firecrackers within the same area. Manufacturers must be authorized by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The Court has also tasked the Central government to collaborate with stakeholders to find a resolution concerning the ban on the sale and storage of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, with a deadline of October 8. Before this, the Supreme Court questioned the selective application of restrictions, pondering whether clean air is a right exclusively for the ‘elite’ in Delhi, suggesting that restrictions should be implemented uniformly across the country. The court’s observations were made during the hearing of petitions concerning firecracker regulations in the NCR on September 12. The petitions were from firecracker manufacturers and citizen groups who were challenging the April 3, 2025, order, which reinforced the December 19, 2024, ban on the sale, manufacturing, and storage of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The court noted the necessity of a year-round ban due to the region’s troubling air quality. Following the court’s intervention, neighboring states in their NCR districts have also set similar restrictions. The initial ban was instituted in 2017 by the National Green Tribunal, and was later supported by the Supreme Court in 2018 and has remained in effect.