Cracker conundrum: On need for strict enforcement of cracker ban

The two Deepavali nights following the Supreme Court’s (SC) temporary relaxation of the cracker ban, played out predictably. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in several north Indian cities — already ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ in the first week of November — was ‘severe’ on Deepavali night. Several air sensors — maintained by various organisations — reported PM2.5 in Delhi and its outskirts, exceeding 1,000 by Deepavali night. In this context, the SC’s order last week regarding crackers bears revisiting. While stating it was aware of the consequences of emissions from crackers, the Court has been waiting for quantitative evidence on the health and environmental effects of emissions from Deepavali celebrations. Such direct, causative evidence is almost impossible to furnish. Slackening winds and post-monsoon atmospheric dryness are known to trap the latent particulate matter from vehicles, industries, construction dust and stubble burning. Crackers are only an additional element that further degrades an already vitiated air. Delhi’s five-day average AQI rose from approximately 298 before Deepavali to 358 afterwards in 2024, 259 to 315 in 2025 and from 350 to 376 in 2026. While the timing of these spikes is consistent with a contribution from firecrackers, their precise share of overall pollution cannot be isolated from other emissions and meteorological influences. An absolute ban would encourage “illegal crackers from across the border,” the Court was told. Cracker season begins a fortnight before Deepavali and therefore an earlier decision by the Court regarding its permissibility would have given stockists time to better dispense ‘green’ crackers.However, it is important to note that CSIR-NEERI, the developers of the products, underline that low-emission crackers — under stringent lab conditions — only reduce emissions by 30%–45%. These percentage reductions reveal nothing about gross particulate matter emissions. The post-Deepavali AQI is evidence of this. The Court acknowledges, but does not address, the immense implementation challenges in policing cracker sales and hyphenates crackers with religious observation but pays only lip service to provisions in the Constitution that say that religious customs cannot override considerations of health and life. Rather than wait for the week running up to Deepavali 2027, the Court must pronounce a final view on crackers and lay down the contours for the government to evolve a policy on limiting the manufacture, sale, and burning of crackers in a time-bound manner. Published - November 10, 2026 01:45 am IST