Supreme Court Allows Certified Green Crackers in Delhi-NCR for Two Diwali Days

In news

• The Supreme Court allowed bursting of certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR for Diwali.
• The case is Arjun Gopal v. Union of India.
• The year-round ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR resumes on 9 November 2026.

What the Court allowed

Item	Detail
Days and timings	7 Nov: 6 AM to 8 PM · 8 Nov: 7 AM to 10 PM
Sale	Only at sites fixed by District Collectors; no online sale
Who can make	Only manufacturers with CSIR-NEERI certification and a PESO licence
Packaging	Sealed boxes with a QR code showing manufacturer, licence and formulation
Banned	Cracker strings (ladis), garlands and barium-based crackers
No-cracker zones	Within 300 m of hospitals, old-age homes, educational institutions and silence zones

• CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards must report AQI daily from 2 to 30 November.
• The Court applied the precautionary principle: act early to prevent harm, even without full scientific certainty.
• It warned officials of contempt for non-compliance.

What are green crackers?

• Developed by CSIR-NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur).
• Emit about 30% less particulate matter than conventional crackers.
• Do not contain barium nitrate, one of the most harmful chemicals in crackers.
• Identified by a green logo and QR code.
• Types:
  • SWAS (Safe Water Releaser): releases water vapour that suppresses dust.
  • STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker): no potassium nitrate or sulphur.
  • SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium): uses less aluminium, more magnesium.
• Limitation: "less polluting" is not "non-polluting". They still release fine particles.

About AQI

• India's National Air Quality Index was launched in 2014.
• It uses 8 pollutants:
  1. PM10
  2. PM2.5
  3. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
  4. Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
  5. Carbon monoxide (CO)
  6. Ozone (O3)
  7. Ammonia (NH3)
  8. Lead (Pb)
• Six categories: Good (0 to 50), Satisfactory (51 to 100), Moderate (101 to 200), Poor (201 to 300), Very Poor (301 to 400), Severe (401 to 500).
• Crackers mainly raise PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NO2, and add metal particles.

Static connect

• PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation): regulates explosives; under the DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; headquarters in Nagpur.
• Sivakasi (Tamil Nadu) is India's main firecracker manufacturing hub.
• Article 21: the Supreme Court has read the right to a clean environment and health into the right to life.
• Noise: firecracker noise is regulated under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Balancing the issue

• Public health: Diwali falls in Delhi's worst air season, with stubble smoke and calm winds.
• Festive traditions and livelihoods: lakhs of workers in Sivakasi depend on the industry.
• The Court's approach: a limited, regulated window instead of a total ban or a free-for-all.

Exam relevance: UPSC Prelims, GS-3 (Environment, Pollution), GS-2 (Judiciary); TGPSC, APPSC (Environment).