Politics · India · 1 hr ago
Supreme Court allows green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for two days
India’s Supreme Court has allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8, around the Deepawali festival.
They may be set off only from 6 to 7 a.m.
and from 8 to 10 p.m.
The court said firecrackers are linked to pollution, but did not impose a complete ban, citing the festival’s significance and a lack of adequate data to assess whether a total ban would be the best solution.
Only approved green crackers are permitted; crackers containing barium and firecrackers joined in long strings are prohibited.
The order also bars fireworks near hospitals, care homes and designated silence zones, and at educational institutions; the Hindi-language reports specify a 300-metre buffer around listed facilities.
Police and local officials must enforce the restrictions, including limiting sales to designated places and taking action against banned crackers.
Activists question whether the rules can be enforced in time, while traders say the short sales window makes it difficult to obtain enough stock.
The Supreme Court allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8, 2026, during two specified time slots.
The permitted hours are 6am to 7am and 8pm to 10pm on both days.
The court barred polluting crackers and directed authorities to enforce restrictions, including limits on where green crackers can be sold.
Environmental activists questioned whether the rules can be enforced, while traders said the short notice leaves little time to obtain stock.
The court said it did not have enough data to decide whether a complete ban would best address pollution.
- Who
- The Supreme Court, including Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale, issued the order.
- What
- It allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for two daily time slots and set restrictions on their sale and use.
- When
- The order was issued on November 2, 2026; the permitted dates are November 7 and 8.
- Where
- Delhi-NCR.
- Why
- The court noted Deepawali’s significance but said firecrackers contribute to pollution and that religious practice is subject to constitutional restrictions.
Environmental activists
Supreme Court
Complete ban
Environmental activists
Activist Bhavreen Kandhari said a blanket ban is needed because people continue to burst different types of firecrackers despite restrictions.
Supreme Court
The court did not favour a complete ban, saying it lacked adequate data to decide whether one would best solve the pollution problem.
Enforcement
Environmental activists
Activists questioned how authorities could verify that crackers are green and enforce the restrictions at short notice.
Supreme Court
The court directed police and administration to keep polluting crackers out of bounds and ordered authorities to enforce its directions.
The Supreme Court said it would not impose a complete ban or allow firecrackers to be used around the clock.
The court suggested using well-known figures to raise awareness about celebrating with less pollution.
The Supreme Court allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8 during two specified time slots.
Traders said they would be allowed to sell firecrackers on these three days and warned that limited time would make it difficult to obtain stock.
Green firecrackers may be burst from 6am to 7am and from 8pm to 10pm.
- Permitted dates
- November 7 and 8, 2026
- Permitted hours
- 6am–7am and 8pm–10pm
- Restricted areas
- Within 300 metres of specified health facilities, old-age homes and notified silence zones; educational institutions are also to be no-cracker zones
- Sales
- Only at designated locations; online sales are banned
- Prohibited crackers
- Series crackers, including “ladis,” and crackers containing barium or not approved as green crackers by CSIR-NEERI
4 sources
Activists raise concern over Supreme Court order on green firecrackers, traders lament stock availability
SC on Diwali: Crackers on Nov 7-8 in 2 time slots, and keep it green
दिवाली पर दिल्ली में ग्रीन पटाखों को मिली मंजूरी, सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने तय की टाइम लिमिट
सुप्रीम कोर्ट बोला- दिल्ली-NCR में ग्रीन पटाखे जला सकेंगे: साइलेंस जोन के 300 मीटर एरिया में रोक, स्कूल-कॉल...
What people are saying
Allowing the environment to degrade, which results in a health hazard to all living beings, defeats the very purpose of the festivities...
Unless there is a blanket ban on firecrackers, people will burst all types of firecrackers in the city.
That leaves us only one day to get the firecrackers from the manufacturers, which is very difficult.