SC reins in cracker manufacturers, says health is pivotal

The Supreme Court refused to intervene in an order passed by the National Green Tribunal(NGT) which banned the sale of firecrackers during the Covid 19 pandemic and in areas with poor Air Quality Index.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to intervene in an order passed by the National Green Tribunal(NGT) which banned the sale of firecrackers during the Covid 19 pandemic and in areas with poor Air Quality Index.

The bench comprising of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Sanjiv Khanna told the manufacturers arguing against the ban that once the pandemic is over and air quality improves, the sale will be allowed. The court added that manufacturing is permitted now and sale is only banned.

"As per IIT Kanpur report, firecracker is not even in the list of top 15 factors which contributes to air pollution," said one of the sellers.

"Do you need IIT to understand that firecrackers impact your health? Ask someone staying in Delhi what happened during Diwali," countered J Khanwilkar.

Parties sought clarification on the NGT order regarding ban on sales conditionally and no ban on manufacturing. The Court refused to clarify and observed that it was not needed, NGT order does not deal with manufacturing. "These appeals are devoid of merit and are dismissed," ordered the court.