The Supreme Court allowed green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during fixed hours on November 7 and 8. The order balances Diwali observance with public health while restoring the full ban from November 9.Stock photo used for illustrationNewdelhi,Nov 2, 2026 17:26 ISTThe Supreme Court has allowed green firecrackers to be burst in Delhi-National Capital Region from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on November 7 and 8, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Diwali falls on November 8 this year.The court said Diwali has religious, social and emotional significance but allowing environmental degradation and health hazards would defeat the purpose of the celebrations. It clarified that the complete ban on firecrackers imposed earlier would return from November 9.A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale said bursting firecrackers causes air pollution.
It noted that the right to practise, profess and propagate religion under Article 25(1) of the Constitution is subject to public order, morality, health and other fundamental rights.“This court has repeatedly held that the ‘right to life’ envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to a healthy, safe and a pollution-free environment, and the said position has been crystallised and, hence, requires no repetition,” the bench said in its October 29 order. The court said an individual's right to follow a practice that may have a religious character is qualified and cannot exceed constitutional restrictions.
The parties before the court agreed that bursting firecrackers contributed significantly to pollution in Delhi-NCR, according to PTI.The bench said measures taken by the authorities, either following the court's orders or on their own, had not produced the desired results. “Therefore, it can be seen that the problem lies in the implementation. Certainly, there has to be better coordination amongst all relevant stakeholders,” it said.
The court said authorities must continue to regulate, implement and monitor measures not only during the festival but also afterwards. It called for periodic reviews of environmental pollution and its effects after the festive season.The bench directed that Air Quality Index data be collected from monitoring stations managed by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. “We are also of the view that statistics pertaining to increase in the number of patients, as well as the reported deaths, if any, due to the pollution, have to be collected from hospitals and health care centres across Delhi-NCR,” it said.It also called for further discussions among stakeholders, including public health officials, on reducing environmental pollution.“We are also conscious of the fact that the celebration of Deepawali has a religious, social, psychological and emotional connotation amongst people, creating a positive atmosphere of hope, welfare and prosperity,” the bench said. “That being said, allowing the environment to degrade, which results in a health hazard to all the living beings, defeats the very purpose of the festivities, and the celebrations would be rendered nugatory.”The court noted that philosophers and thinkers of ancient India treated the environment as an integral part of religion and viewed all living beings equally. “Life truly exists in every being and form, apart from human beings.
In their profound wisdom, any religious practice, including the celebration of a festival, should facilitate this heightened thinking in every possible way,” it said.“This is evident in the way that the natural elements such as air, water, fire, earth and the sky are treated as gods and worshipped with great reverence,” the bench added.The court said Diwali, the festival of lights, had over the centuries become a national festival and could now even be considered an international festival. It noted that people celebrate it regardless of caste, community or religion.The bench said ancient Hindu scriptures, including the Skandapurana and the Padmapurana, refer to the ritual use of lamps during Diwali.
The celebrations changed after gunpowder was introduced in India a few centuries ago, leading to the use of firecrackers.“Bursting of firecrackers, though constitutes a religious practice meant to celebrate the occasion, shall result in severe environmental pollution, especially air and noise, apart from the creation of solid wastes,” the bench said.It said the unregulated use of firecrackers affects everyone, including users, with children, persons with disabilities and elderly people among the most vulnerable groups. The court noted that data shows a sharp rise in the Air Quality Index and pollution levels, including particulate matter in the atmosphere, after Diwali celebrations across the country, particularly in Delhi-NCR.The bench said Delhi-NCR's geographical conditions and low wind speeds restrict the movement of air, allowing pollution to persist.
It added that winter conditions, which trap polluted air, worsen the situation.In summary, the Supreme Court permitted green firecrackers during limited hours on November 7 and 8, while ordering the complete ban to resume on November 9. It also called for stronger coordination, continued monitoring and the collection of pollution and public health data across Delhi-NCR.- Ends