NEW DELHI: In a great relief to the Telangana Fireworkers Dealers Association, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed the sale and use of firecrackers in the state in accordance with the National Green Court (NGT) order. NGT has allowed the outbreak of green cookies in cities where air quality is “moderate.”
The court has also specified time periods for the cookie popping: 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Diwali and Gurupurb, 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in Chhath, and 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Christmas and New Years Eve.
These rules apply to states that have not established their own rules or have not prohibited the use of firecrackers.
The higher court order is provisional in nature and is not a precedent for other cases. The lifting of the ban on firecrackers only applies to Telangana and follows the challenge statement of the higher court order.
The Association had challenged the Telangana high court order prohibiting the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali. He had requested an immediate suspension on the grounds that his livelihoods would be at stake because of the order.
According to the petitioners, the higher court did not make the Association a party to the case or seek its response. The Association had argued that the sale of firecrackers is a “seasonal business for which large investments have been made.”
Since the high court will be closed during Diwali, a special holiday bench made up of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna was established. The two judges also issued a notification to the opposing parties, which would be returned on November 16.
Many states have banned the setting off of firecrackers this year, citing the worsening pandemic. The Delhi government has also banned them due to rising pollution levels in the national capital region.
The NGT banned on Monday the sale or use of firecrackers in the region of the national capital from midnight on November 9 to November 30, saying that “the celebration of cookies is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases”.
In addition to Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Karnataka have also banned firecrackers.
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