The Supreme Court has allowed approved green crackers in Delhi-NCR for two days around Diwali, with fixed time slots, QR-coded packaging and tight enforcement. The full ban returns on November 9.
Delhi's festive season has long collided with its winter air, and this year the Supreme Court has chosen a middle path. Rather than extend a blanket prohibition, the Court has permitted tightly regulated use of certified green crackers for just two days, backed by monitoring, deposits and a promise of contempt action against officials who fail to comply. The order is as much a test of enforcement as it is a festival relaxation, as Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale has cleared the bursting of approved green crackers on November 7 and 8, but only between 6 AM and 7 AM and again between 8 PM and 10 PM. To make legal purchases possible, the Court temporarily revived cancelled trader licences from November 4 to 6, and the complete ban comes back on November 9, according to Bar and Bench.
The bench explained that authorities had not produced enough data to show the ban was working, and that conventional crackers were being passed off as green ones. In its view, a total prohibition was feeding illegal sales while keeping buyers away from tested products. This follows a similar limited relaxation, described as a trial, allowed during Diwali 2025.
Green Crackers in Delhi. Source: NDTV
"For many Delhi residents, the question this Diwali is less about whether to celebrate and more about whether the air can bear it."
Only manufacturers with valid CSIR-NEERI and PESO certification may produce approved green crackers, and every sealed box must carry a batch-specific QR code that cannot be sold or transferred. Barium-based crackers, ladis and garlands remain banned, online sales are barred, and sellers must furnish a security deposit that is forfeited on violations. Police are to inspect vehicles entering Delhi-NCR and verify codes at sales points, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The Court has also ordered daily air-quality reports through November and data on any rise in hospital admissions linked to firecracker pollution. Authorities must file affidavits on enforcement by December 14, with the next hearing on December 16. Crackers are prohibited within 300 metres of hospitals, schools and silence zones, and the bench stressed that religious freedom under Article 25 yields to public health and the right to a pollution-free environment under Article 21, per the same report.
Also read- Delhi's Air Turns 'Very Poor' at AQI 324; GRAP-2 Imposed Across NCR
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