In a significant move ahead of the festive season, the Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the absolute ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), allowing government-approved “green crackers” on a “test case basis”.

The order, passed by a bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, attempts to strike a balance between the livelihood concerns of the firecracker industry, festive traditions and the public health crisis caused by air pollution in the region every winter.

This temporary relaxation modifies a series of previous orders by the Delhi government and the Supreme Court that had imposed a complete ban on all kinds of firecrackers in the NCR in recent years. The court’s decision came after both the Union governmen

See Full Page