{"id":131770,"date":"2026-11-03T11:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=131770"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T06:10:20","slug":"green-crackers-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/green-crackers-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Crackers in Delhi-NCR &#8211; Supreme Court\u2019s Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Green Crackers Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court permitted the conditional use of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8, recognising the religious and emotional significance of Deepavali while emphasising the constitutional obligation to protect public health and the environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Supreme Court&#8217;s Conditional Permission for Green Crackers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale allowed the bursting of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during specified hours on November 7 and 8.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The permitted time windows were:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Morning:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Evening:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court imposed additional restrictions to protect vulnerable groups and sensitive locations:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firecrackers were prohibited within a 300-metre radius of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes and notified silence zones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educational institutions were also covered by the restriction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These areas were to be declared and marked as &#8216;no-cracker zones&#8217;, with their locations made publicly available.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court emphasised that celebrations should not come at the cost of environmental degradation and public health.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Religious Practices and Constitutional Limitations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court acknowledged that bursting firecrackers during Deepavali has religious and cultural significance. It also recognised the festival&#8217;s social, psychological and emotional importance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the Court clarified that the right to practise religion is not absolute.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Article 25 and Public Health<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/right-to-freedom-of-religion\/\" target=\"_blank\">Article 25(1)<\/a> <\/strong>of the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion. However, this freedom is subject to: Public order, Morality, Health &amp; Other provisions of Part III of the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court held that a religiously associated practice cannot extend beyond these constitutional limitations when it causes harm to public health and the environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Article 21 and the Right to a Healthy Environment<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 21 guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. The Supreme Court has interpreted this provision to include the right to a healthy, safe and pollution-free environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court highlighted that unregulated firecracker use contributes to severe air and noise pollution and generates solid waste. It particularly affects children, persons with disabilities and the elderly, who are among the most vulnerable groups.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The constitutional framework therefore requires balancing religious freedom with the right to life, health and environmental protection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Environmental and Public Health Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court observed that unregulated firecracker use during Deepavali has repeatedly contributed to sharp increases in the Air Quality Index (AQI) and pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Particulate matter released through fireworks is particularly concerning because microscopic particles can enter the human respiratory system and cause substantial harm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court also noted that noise pollution and solid-waste generation add to the environmental consequences of celebrations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Historical Context of Deepavali Celebrations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court observed that Deepavali has evolved into a national and even international festival, celebrated across communities and religions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also referred to ancient Hindu scriptures, including the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skandapurana<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Padmapurana<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which described the use of lamps as a ritual during Deepavali.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the Court&#8217;s observations, the introduction of gunpowder in India led to the subsequent adoption of firecrackers as part of celebrations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This historical discussion formed part of the Court&#8217;s examination of the relationship between religious traditions and changing practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Regulation of Green Crackers and Their Sale<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside permitting limited use, the Supreme Court issued directions to regulate the manufacture, distribution and sale of firecrackers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Certification and Manufacturing<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only manufacturers certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) were permitted to manufacture green crackers between November 2 and November 6.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green crackers had to be packed in sealed boxes and kept separate from unauthorised or conventional firecrackers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacture and sale of firecrackers joined in series, commonly known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ladis<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or garlands, were prohibited.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Sale and Identification<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only firecrackers carrying product-specific QR codes were permitted to be sold. This requirement was intended to improve product identification and help distinguish authorised green crackers from unauthorised products.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court also permitted the temporary restoration of cancelled licences of traders between November 4 and November 6.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Financial Security and Enforcement<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers and traders operating in Delhi-NCR were directed to furnish monetary security, with the authorities required to determine an appropriate amount.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These measures were intended to strengthen accountability and discourage the sale of conventional or unauthorised firecrackers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Enforcement Challenges and Regulatory Gaps<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with the State&#8217;s failure to effectively implement restrictions imposed through earlier court orders dating back to 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It observed that the complete ban on firecrackers had not achieved its intended objective. Instead, it had facilitated illegal sales and prevented consumers from purchasing legitimate green crackers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court also referred to significant increases in AQI levels around Dasara, indicating that pollution concerns were not limited to Deepavali.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The observations highlight a broader governance challenge: environmental restrictions require effective monitoring, enforcement and coordination among regulatory authorities, manufacturers, traders and law enforcement agencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/cities\/Delhi\/supreme-court-lifts-firecracker-ban-for-deepavali-in-delhi-ncr\/article71656147.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand the Supreme Court&#8217;s conditional permission for green crackers in Delhi-NCR, constitutional limits on religious practices and the need to protect public health and air quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":131774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3202,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-131770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-green-crackers","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131770"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131783,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131770\/revisions\/131783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}