Delhi’s Green Firecrackers: Supreme Court Lifts Ban as 1961 Echoes Resurface

The perennial debate over firecrackers in Delhi has taken a significant turn, with the Supreme Court announcing on October 10, 2025, that it will temporarily lift the ban on firecrackers for five days during the upcoming Diwali festival on October 20. While the court, led by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, reserved its final order on pleas to permit “green” firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, it signaled a relaxation with specific time restrictions. This development revives a decades-old issue, as concerns about firecracker-related pollution in Delhi trace back to 1961, when the Deputy Ganj Committee raised alarms over noise pollution.

In January 1961, when Delhi’s population was just 26 lakh compared to over 2 crore today, the Deputy Ganj Committee, an industrial market association in Sadar Bazar, wrote to the Chief Commissioner of Delhi, decrying the “deafening noise” from high-decibel firecrackers during festivals. Describing the disturbances as akin to “complete warfare,” the committee highlighted the distress caused, particularly to those with heart conditions, and proposed a total ban on loud crackers and a 10 p.m. curfew on fireworks.

The letter was forwarded to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply, but the government deemed a complete ban unnecessary, citing regulations under the Indian Explosives Act and prior reductions in cracker sizes in 1958 to minimize noise.

The government’s 1961 response emphasized police vigilance and restricted hours as sufficient measures, reflecting a lighter regulatory approach in an era when Delhi lacked a chief minister and was administered by the Chief Commissioner under the President’s authority, following the dissolution of the legislative assembly in 1956.

Fast forward to today, Delhi’s air quality crisis has intensified the firecracker debate. Despite a 2014-15 Supreme Court ban in Delhi-NCR due to escalating pollution, violations last year led to widespread smoke, with firecrackers bursting from 6 p.m. to past midnight.

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As Delhi braces for a potentially smog-heavy Diwali, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow limited firecracker use marks a delicate balance between cultural traditions and environmental concerns. The echoes of 1961 highlight the longstanding tension between festive celebrations and public health, with the court’s final ruling poised to shape how Delhi navigates this contentious issue in 2025.

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