Firecrackers should be banned across the country: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the basis for having a firecracker ban rule applicable exclusively for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), stating that citizens across the country are entitled to a pollution-free environment and any ban should be part of a policy applicable pan-India.
The observations were made by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai while hearing a batch of applications filed by firecracker manufacturers, who objected to the year-long ban applicable on sale and manufacture of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.
Issuing notice on the applications, the bench, also comprising justice K Vinod Chandran, said, “If citizens in NCR are entitled to pollution-free air, why not so for people in other cities.”
The CJI said that last winter he was in Amritsar on his visit to Golden Temple and was told that the pollution there is worse than in Delhi. The bench remarked, “Just because Delhi is the Capital city and the Supreme Court is situated here, should citizens in other cities not get pollution-free air.”
The observations of the court came in the context of a challenge made by the fireworks traders who said that the livelihood of several families is dependent on this industry. Senior advocates Dama Sesadari Naidu and K Parameshwar said that on April 3 the top court refused to alter its ban and even the green cracker formulations prepared by them had not been considered by the Centre along with the expert body NEERI.