'People Have Already Invested, Come After Diwali': Supreme Court Refuses Urgent Listing For Plea Seeking Nationwide Ban On Firecrackers

The Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice Hemant Gupta refused to grant urgent listing for a plea praying for a nationwide ban on firecrackers on Friday.

When the matter was mentioned for urgent listing, CJI Lalit noted that since the festival of Diwali was already around the corner, many people must have already invested in the firecracker business. Therefore, he remarked that an injunction on firecrackers this close to Diwali would lead to severe losses.  

CJI Lalit, while declining to entertain the matter said–

"You come at the peak of time. Diwali is right around the corner. People have already invested in firecracker business and now injuncting this will lead to losses etc. You should have come few months earlier. Come after Diwali now."

As Diwali approaches, various states have framed different guidelines regarding bursting of firecrackers. For instance, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on September 14 called for a complete ban on manufacturing, storage, sale and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers till January 1, 2023 in the national capital.

Against this direction of the DPCC, on 13th October, the Supreme Court was approached urging permission for bursting green crackers on Diwali. Here, the Supreme Court stated that the matter shall be dealt with by the Delhi High Court. This plea was moved by two entities, engaged in storing and selling of green crackers, claiming that there was no reason to include green crackers in the ban.

It may also be noted that on October 10, a bench led by Justice MR Shah had considered a petition filed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenging the firecracker ban in Delhi.