New Delhi: Observing that the air quality is very grave, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) until further orders. A Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justices A.K. Sikri and S.A. Bobde, passed this order on a petition filed by three infants from Delhi through their parents on the ground that the air quality during Diwali due to bursting of fire crackers is affecting their right to life.
The Bench directed the Centre not to renew the existing licences for storing and sale of fire crackers and said no fresh licenses will be given to them. The Bench said the rules provide for suspension of licences if there is a grave situation and “keeping the present grave air quality in mind, we can intervene to suspend the licence.”
The Bench asked the Central Pollution Control to submit a report in three months whether the materials used in the manufacture of crackers are carcinogenic causing cancer. It said that based on the report if the court finds that the materials cause cancer, then it can consider imposing certain restrictions on manufacture of crackers. The children in their petition claimed that the smog due to firecrackers post-Diwali was choking their right to live.
