Amidst the dangerous levels of air pollution in the national capital Delhi, the Supreme Court has taken a tough stance on the news of uncontrolled and open sale of firecrackers in the markets. Justice M.M. Sundaresh and Justice Prasanna B. Varale’s bench, taking suo motu cognizance of a prominent media report, took the central government and concerned law enforcement agencies to task. Expressing serious concern, the court said that despite the strict conditions and restrictions set by the apex court, all types of banned and non-certified firecrackers are being sold indiscriminately in the markets of Delhi. The bench directed the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), appearing for the Central Government, to immediately pay attention to the ground reality and ensure strict compliance with the rules.
During the hearing, Justice M.M. Citing the ground report, Sundaresh told the Centre’s counsel that according to the report, crackers of every variety are openly available in the markets. The bench made sharp remarks and said, “They are saying that all types of crackers are being sold in the market – licensed, unlicensed, with QR code and without QR code. Everything is easily available in the shops. Please note this seriously and take necessary corrective steps immediately.” The court expressed deep dissatisfaction over the fact that due to lack of administrative monitoring and police checking at the ground level, its orders are being blatantly violated.
The court underlined that banned traditional firecrackers, which produce excessive smoke and noise, are being sold in the market in the guise of green crackers. Despite a complete ban on the manufacture and sale of crackers and jointed crackers containing barium salt, traders are resorting to fraud. The apex court clarified that as per the rules, only those firecrackers will be considered valid which have statutory certification of CSIR-NEERI and PESO and a non-transferable Unique QR Code.
| Key Points/Rules | Conditions set by the Supreme Court |
| Green crackers sale period | From 4th November to 6th November 2026 only at authorized and identified places. |
| Dates of permission to burst firecrackers | Only on 7th November and 8th November 2026 (on Diwali festival) |
| Timings | 6:00 am to 7:00 am and 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm (total 3 hours per day) |
| silence zone restrictions | Complete stoppage within 300 meters of hospitals, nursing homes, schools and old-age homes |
| withdrawal of full ban | Complete ban on firecrackers comes into effect again in Delhi-NCR from 9 November 2026. |
The Supreme Court has directed Delhi Police and NCR District Magistrates to conduct strict searches of trucks and commercial vehicles coming from other states on the borders of the capital, so that smuggling of illegal firecrackers can be stopped. Along with this, instructions have been given to completely ban the delivery of firecrackers through e-commerce platforms and online websites. The court made it clear that those traders who do not have valid QR code and NEERI certification, their security deposit should be immediately confiscated and criminal cases should be registered against them.