The Supreme Court has refused to put a complete ban on firecrackers ahead of Diwali but has imposed certain conditions on the sale and bursting of crackers.
The court has said that only green firecrackers i.e, the crackers that are less polluting will be allowed to be sold and burst only between 8 pm to 10 pm.
The two judge bench comprising of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan have also fixed the timing for bursting of crackers during Christmas and the New Years Eve. The timing is from 11:45 pm to 12:15 am.
The court has completely banned the selling of crackers online and if they are sold, such e-commerce sites will be hauled up for contempt.
The judges said that only licensed traders can sell firecrackers, that too safer ones with reduced emission and permitted chemicals. The ladi or chain crackers are completely banned.
The police officer in charge of an area will be responsible for any violation of the new rules, said the court.
The petitioners had sought a complete ban on manufacture, sale, and possession of firecrackers across the country. However, the court stated that a balance needs to be struck between the fundamental right to life and clean environment and the right to livelihood of firecracker manufacturers.
Last year, on 9 October, the Supreme Court had temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali.