Supreme Court Allows Limited Green Crackers in Delhi NCR as Diwali Pollution Fears Grow

Three hours of fireworks under a temporary court trial

India's Supreme Court has allowed the sale and limited use of certified green crackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region for Diwali, introducing a temporary experiment as the capital faces another season of dangerous air. As of October 16, 2025, the framework permits fireworks only in designated areas during two daily windows: 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm.

The three hours of permitted use are surrounded by restrictions on sellers, products, locations and enforcement. Conventional fireworks, crackers containing barium, joined strings known as laris, online sales and stock brought in from outside NCR remain prohibited. Approved products must carry a National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) QR code so that buyers and inspectors can check their certification.

The decision comes during a week when Delhi's air has hovered in very poor to hazardous categories, with readings of fine particulate pollution in many localities far above health guidelines. The court described the relaxation as temporary and experimental, intended to test whether tightly controlled access to cleaner fireworks can reduce illegal sales while protecting public health.

Green crackers produce fewer pollutants than conventional fireworks, with altered chemical mixtures intended to reduce particulate emissions by about a third. They still release fine and ultrafine particles that can travel deep into the lungs. Delhi often enters Diwali with substantial pollution already in the air, leaving little room for another burst of smoke.

The central question is practical: can licensed stalls, verified products, restricted hours and joint patrols limit the damage more effectively than a blanket ban undermined by smuggling? Pollution measurements collected through the festival will help the court assess that experiment.

Where and when the permission applies

Residents can use green crackers only in designated open spaces, typically community grounds identified by local authorities. Bursting them in congested residential lanes or outside the permitted hours is prohibited. The morning and evening windows apply on Diwali and, in some jurisdictions, on the eve of the festival.

The permission therefore depends on local arrangements as well as the court's broader framework. The sales period is a short window in the days before Diwali; no exact opening or closing dates are specified in the account of the order.

Open grounds are intended to allow smoke to disperse more easily than it would between closely packed buildings. The limited hours also give enforcement teams defined periods to supervise. Even so, large numbers of people setting off fireworks together can concentrate pollution in the same places at the same time.

The sequence leading into the festival brings together earlier restrictions, a new trial and a later assessment:

• Earlier court orders pushed manufacturers away from conventional fireworks and toward formulations developed to reduce emissions.
• During the previous winter, a Supreme Court bench linked its position on fireworks to the protection of health, regardless of religion.
• By October 16, 2025, the court had permitted a temporary, regulated green cracker trial for Diwali in Delhi NCR.
• During the festival period, pollution boards will monitor the air and enforcement teams will check sellers and products.
• After the festival, the monitoring reports will go to the court to inform its assessment of the relaxation.

Who can sell and what buyers must check

Only licensed traders registered with NEERI and holding valid permissions from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) can sell certified green crackers. Sales must take place offline at temporary kiosks or designated stalls approved by district administrations in consultation with police.

Traders receive licences valid for a limited period. Unsold stock must be returned or safely disposed of after the festival. The restrictions aim to keep the permitted trade within locations that officials can inspect, rather than allowing sales to spread through informal outlets or online channels.

Genuine green crackers must display both a NEERI QR code and a logo. Scanning the code can show the manufacturer's name, licensing details and the emissions test report associated with the product. Enforcement teams have been directed to verify codes at sale points and seize products without proper labelling.

Buyers should also check for damaged or altered packaging. Fake labels and substituted packaging remain a persistent problem, making the appearance of a box an unreliable guide to the chemicals inside. Authorities have warned that violations can lead to confiscation, fines and cancellation of licences.

What makes a cracker green?

Researchers associated with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and NEERI reworked conventional firework mixtures after earlier court orders forced a change in production. Their goal was to reduce key pollutants and noise while retaining the colours, flashes and other effects that customers expect.

Barium salts were one target. These chemicals act as oxidizers, helping the burning reaction, but leave toxic residues. Many green formulations remove barium and use alternative oxidizers and additives that suppress dust and release some water vapour during combustion. The intended result is less particulate pollution and less of the thick smoke associated with Diwali nights.

Common categories include flower pots, pencils, sparklers, ground chakkar and single shot aerial fireworks with lower emissions. Manufacturers claim reductions of 30 to 40 percent in particulate matter and sulphur dioxide, alongside lower noise levels. A reduction of about a third still leaves a substantial share of the emissions produced by conventional products.

The industry also says newer mixtures use less aluminium and adjust the thermite reaction responsible for bright flashes and sound. A thermite reaction releases intense heat when a metal reacts with an oxide. Changing the mixture aims to preserve the visual effect while reducing the dirtiest fumes.

Laboratory performance and neighbourhood exposure can differ. Fireworks are often used in clusters, and weak winds can leave smoke pooled near the ground. Studies have found that even green fireworks release large volumes of ultrafine particles, which can reach deep into the respiratory tract.

How the checks will work

Police, local administrations and pollution control officials will carry out joint patrols, inspect sale points, verify QR codes and collect random samples. Stock that breaks the rules can be confiscated. PESO will conduct surprise checks, while local forensic laboratories will support chemical testing.

Foot patrols are planned across Delhi and the NCR districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Delhi's proximity to several state borders complicates efforts to intercept prohibited stock. Limiting sales to designated sites within NCR and banning stock brought from outside the region are intended to narrow the routes through which illegal products reach customers.

Inspectors cannot easily identify a firework's chemical formulation by looking at it. Testing every batch during a short sales period is impractical, so enforcement depends on a combination of QR verification, random sampling and spot checks. Officials have flagged limited testing capacity and delays in chemical analysis.

The speed and consistency of those checks will matter. A false label may be spotted quickly through verification, while a product with misleading packaging may require laboratory work. Residents can report fireworks used outside the permitted hours or in prohibited locations to local police or pollution control helplines.

Why the court is testing a limited relaxation

The bench's reasoning starts with the experience of earlier bans: fireworks continued to be used, and smuggling weakened the restrictions. Judges considered whether allowing certified products during narrow windows, under close supervision, could cause less harm than a blanket prohibition that still allowed highly polluting fireworks into the market.

States within the National Capital Region argued that fixed windows for green crackers could reduce smuggling and black marketing. Manufacturers say a legal route for certified products can bring more trade into regulated channels, where safety and quality requirements apply.

Some traders argue that customers determined to buy fireworks will choose whatever is available. In their view, supervised access to cleaner products can reduce the damage. Critics point to years of enforcement difficulties, including false labels, swapped packaging and the difficulty of checking chemical contents in the field.

The court's trial puts those competing expectations into practice. Its success will depend on compliance, weather and pollution already coming from vehicles, industry and fires. Shorter windows can limit the duration of use, but concentrated bursts can still create intense local exposure.

What judges and officials have said

Chief Justice B. R. Gavai addressed the national context during an earlier hearing about uneven restrictions across regions. He questioned a policy that treated Delhi differently from the rest of the country.

If firecrackers are to be banned, they should be banned throughout the country. We cannot have a policy only for Delhi.

A Supreme Court bench, speaking during the previous winter, connected restrictions on polluting activities with the protection of public health. Its remark addressed the role of religious practice in the debate.

No religion promotes any activity that contributes to pollution or compromises the health of people.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who assists the court as amicus curiae in air pollution matters, drew attention to the unequal burden of dirty air. An amicus curiae helps a court examine issues before it.

It is not the elites but the poor that suffer more due to pollution.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said her government would support the framework and cooperate with the court's directions.

The ruling respects public sentiment while protecting health. We will ensure strict enforcement and cooperate fully with all directions.

Why Delhi's air worsens before Diwali

Delhi's autumn pollution builds from several sources before fireworks begin. Traffic produces exhaust, construction sites and unpaved stretches release dust, and smoke from crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana can drift into the capital region during October and November.

Cooler nights make the problem harder to disperse. A temperature inversion occurs when warmer air sits above cooler air near the ground, trapping pollution beneath it. Falling wind speeds allow more smoke and dust to remain close to where people breathe.

Fireworks add another plume to that already polluted atmosphere. In one recent year, Delhi's average PM2.5 concentration over 24 hours reached around 380 micrograms per cubic metre during Diwali, well above its already elevated seasonal average. During last year's festival, air quality index readings in parts of the city were described as exceeding safe levels by more than ten times.

Green formulations, shorter hours and designated spaces are intended to temper that surge. The amount of pollution residents actually breathe will also depend on wind, temperature inversions, smoke arriving from elsewhere and compliance with the restrictions.

What fine particles do to the body

PM2.5 means particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres. Their tiny size allows them to bypass many of the body's defences, reach the deepest parts of the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Exposure is linked to heart attacks, strokes, worsened asthma and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Doctors warn that even a short plume from cleaner fireworks can cause wheezing, chest tightness or an asthma attack. Children, older adults and people with heart or respiratory disease face particular risks. Hospitals commonly see more emergency visits for breathing difficulties around Diwali night.

Public health researchers estimate that prolonged exposure to polluted air shortens Delhi residents' lives by nearly 12 years compared with a situation in which clean air guidelines are met. That estimate concerns sustained exposure across time, while the festival brings an additional, concentrated episode.

A recent global study attributed about 135 million premature deaths to air pollution over the past four decades, with India and China carrying much of that burden. The local concern during Diwali is immediate as well: people managing asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart conditions may experience symptoms when pollution rises sharply.

The court's restrictions on hours and locations respond to that exposure, along with the effort to remove conventional fireworks from the permitted market. Even approved products add particles to air that is already unhealthy.

Other pollution controls remain in place

Delhi authorities have activated the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as winter approaches. The measures include construction dust controls, restrictions on diesel generators used for services that are not emergencies, and a ban on coal and firewood for commercial cooking.

These measures address the wider mixture of sources behind winter smog. Controlling fireworks alone leaves vehicle exhaust, construction dust, industrial emissions and smoke from agricultural fires to be managed. The temporary Diwali permission operates within that broader effort to prevent pollution from worsening.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution boards will monitor ambient air quality, meaning the surrounding outdoor air, through the festival period. Their reports will be submitted to the Supreme Court.

The court will use the findings to assess whether a limited relaxation can continue or needs changes. The readings will reflect the combined effects of fireworks, weather and other pollution sources during the monitoring period.

What residents can do during the festival

Residents should expect a short but potentially intense period of smoke and noise, even with the restrictions. Low winds and temperature inversions can keep emissions near the ground. Families with young children, older adults or people with asthma or COPD may prefer indoor celebrations in spaces with suitable ventilation or community events in designated open areas.

Outdoor celebrations should stay within the permitted hours, and people should avoid lingering where fireworks are actively being used. Keeping windows closed during smoky evening periods can reduce the amount of polluted outdoor air entering the home. A purifier with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter can help remove particles indoors where one is available.

N95 or similar masks offer protection during brief outdoor exposure. Residents can follow local air quality readings through official apps or public displays and limit strenuous activity when conditions become very unhealthy.

People prescribed inhalers should keep them accessible and follow their physician's treatment and action plans. Those buying fireworks should check the NEERI QR code, avoid products with missing or altered labels and use only the approved locations.

For households, the immediate change is a narrow legal opportunity to use certified fireworks rather than unrestricted permission. For authorities, the test is whether checks at stalls, patrols during the permitted hours and pollution monitoring can make that boundary work.

Key Points

• As of October 16, 2025, the Supreme Court has allowed a temporary trial of certified green crackers in Delhi NCR for Diwali.
• Permitted use totals three hours daily, from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm, in designated areas on Diwali and, in some jurisdictions, its eve.
• Only licensed sellers at approved offline locations may sell certified products bearing NEERI verification details.
• Conventional crackers, barium, laris, online sales and stock brought from outside NCR remain prohibited.
• Joint patrols, random samples, QR checks and surprise inspections will support enforcement.
• Green crackers reduce emissions but still produce particles that can worsen breathing and heart conditions.
• Delhi has also activated GRAP measures covering construction dust, diesel generators and commercial cooking fuels.
• CPCB and state boards will submit festival air quality reports to help the court assess the experiment.