1 hr ago
Bombay High Court Orders Festival Firecracker and Loud Music Ban
The Bombay High Court wants festivals in Maharashtra to be quieter and safer.
It said firecrackers and very loud music can harm people and pollute the air.
The court ordered a total ban on firecrackers and certain bright lights in public celebrations and processions.
It also called for strict limits on loud music and other noise-making equipment.
Police must check sound levels during festivals.
They can take away equipment that breaks the rules.
Organisers may have to pay a security deposit and could lose it if they violate the rules.
The court said authorities should prevent violations instead of waiting for complaints.
The Bombay High Court ordered a total ban on firecrackers, laser lights, high-intensity lights and beams during festivities or processions in public places across Maharashtra.
The court expressed concern that firecrackers and amplified music cause air pollution, noise pollution, fire risks and health hazards.
Police and authorities must measure decibel levels, seize offending equipment and take preventive as well as punitive action.
Individuals seeking permission to use noise-causing instruments may be required to deposit at least ₹50,000, while groups may need to deposit at least ₹1 lakh.
Organisers must provide undertakings, use sound systems with internal compressors and install decibel meters at venues or along processions.
- Who
- The Bombay High Court, a Bench of Justices G. S. Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale, directed Maharashtra authorities and police to act.
- What
- The court ordered a total ban on firecrackers, laser lights, high-intensity lights and beams in public festivities or processions, along with stricter controls on loud music.
- Where
- Across Maharashtra, particularly in public places and densely populated cities such as Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik.
- When
- The directions were issued on September 22, 2026.
- Why
- The court cited air and noise pollution, fire and other hazards, health risks, and inadequate enforcement of existing noise-pollution rules.
Key facts
- Court
- Bombay High Court
- Bench
- Justices G. S. Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale
- Date
- September 22, 2026
- Geographic scope
- Maharashtra
- Security deposit
- At least ₹50,000 for individuals and ₹1 lakh for groups seeking permission to use noise-causing instruments
- Required monitoring
- Authorities must measure decibel levels and maintain records for permitted festivities
- Applicable rules
- Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000
Quotes
Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court Bench hearing the pollution matter
“It is high time that in large cities having dense population like Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, where majority of the citizens are made to silently suffer such brazen violations, a regime of total restraint on the playing of loud music by use of high watt speakers, sound system, loud speakers, dhol tashas, use of cylinders etc. needs to be completely banned, and a more dignified and civilised way of having these processions and celebrations is the imminent requirement of the contemporary times,”
opindia.com
“We are also seriously concerned with the level of air pollution that would be generated by the bursting of firecrackers on public streets…We are also concerned with the potential hazards caused by the bursting of firecrackers, including firecrackers generating noise pollution in excess of the prescribed decibel limits,”
opindia.com
Sources
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