Published On : Tue, Oct 23rd, 2018

SC Allows Sale And Manufacture of Firecrackers, But With Riders,Ban Online Sale

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court allows a two-hour window — between 8 pm and 10 pm — for bursting of firecrackers on Diwali and other festivals and imposes a partial ban on the sale of firecrackers in the country.

The court said that “green” crackers which have low emission levels will be across the country. The SC restrains e-commerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon from selling firecrackers which are beyond the permissible limit. SC says e-commerce websites will be hauled up for contempt of court if they don’t adhere to court’s direction. Sale of firecrackers will be through licenced holders only.

Firecrackers with permissible decibel limits will be allowed to be sold in the market, the court said.

Station house officers of police station concerned will be held liable if banned firecrackers are sold in their area.

The court is hearing a plea seeking a ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.

The partial ban on bursting firecrackers will be applicable on Christmas and New Year as well, which will be from 11:55 pm to 12:30 am.

There will also be designated areas in Delhi and NCR where firecrackers can be burst. SC directs all states to explore feasibility of community cracker bursting during festivals. SC asks Centre to encourage community cracker bursting during Diwali and other festivals in Delhi-NCR.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan which had reserved its verdict on August 28 is to pronounce the judgement.

The apex court had earlier said there is a need to take into account all aspects, including the fundamental right of livelihood of firecracker manufacturers and the right to health of over 1.3 billion people in the country, while considering a plea for the ban.