Supreme Court Upholds Firecracker Ban in Delhi-NCR, Permits Production of Green Crackers

Production of certified green crackers allowed to continue in NCR, but the existing ban on sale and storage remains in effect.

September 26, 2025: On Friday, the Supreme Court made a complicated decision that allowed certified producers to make green firecrackers but kept the restriction on selling and storing them in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).

The Supreme Court bench, which included Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran, and Justice NV Anjaria, made it clear that only manufacturers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) are allowed to continue making the product.

Policy Review and Debate Over a Ban Across India

The Supreme Court told the Center to talk to all the right people and come up with a full plan to end the ban by October 8.

This order comes after the court made strong comments about how the ban was only being applied in certain cases. The Supreme Court asked why the right to clean air was only available to people living in Delhi-NCR during a hearing on September 12. They argued for a policy that would apply to everyone.

Chief Justice BR Gavai said:

“Why shouldn’t people in other cities have clean air too?” Any policy that needs to be in place needs to be in place across the whole country. We can’t make a policy solely for Delhi because they are the best people of the country.”

These insights were made while looking at the problems that firecracker makers and citizen groups had with earlier court orders that upheld the ban all year long.

The continuous debate makes it possible for a national policy to be made, which might mean that firecrackers are banned all over India. The National Green Tribunal put the ban in place in 2017, and the Supreme Court has kept it in place since 2018 since the air quality in the area is “horrible.”