Supreme Court Orders Firecracker Ban Across NCR States to Tackle Pollution

The Supreme Court addressed air pollution in Delhi-NCR and directed UP and Haryana to impose a complete ban on firecrackers, similar to Delhi's year-round ban.

Delhi’s ban, enforced, covers the manufacture, storage, sale, and use of all firecrackers. The Court also reviewed the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat pollution.

The Delhi Government argued that for the firecracker ban to be effective, neighbouring NCR states must adopt similar measures, as firecrackers could be brought into Delhi from other states. Haryana had permitted green crackers, while Rajasthan had already imposed a complete ban in its NCR areas.

The Supreme Court ordered UP and Haryana to enforce the ban and scheduled a further hearing on January 15, 2025.