The Supreme Court on Friday refused to modify its October 9 order suspending the sale of firecrackers in Delhi NCR till November 1, 2017.
The court said it knew that “some people are trying to give a communal tinge to our order... but we will consider that as people expressing their anguish at our order.”
The court said that its concern primarily was the health of the masses.
The Bench, also comprising of Justice Ashok Bhushan, was hearing firecracker manufacturers and traders hit by the October 9 ban.
“Diwali has been celebrated for hundreds of years. Delhi is no exception to the rest of India. There are children who wait for Diwali celebrations,” senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the traders, submitted.
Interestingly, the October 9 order only suspended the sale and did not impose any restriction on the bursting of crackers.
Mr. Rohatgi even suggested to the court to designate the time and days for bursting crackers.
To this, the Bench said “very frankly” it doubted whether the suspension of sales has dampened Deepavali celebrations in the least. “The sales are already taking place. Crackers are already being burst. It is not anyway going to be a cracker-free Diwali,” Justice Sikri remarked.
The court said it would anyway monitor the post-Diwali situation after November 1. The suspension was ordered in a bid to test whether a Diwali without firecrackers this year will have a “positive effect” on the health of citizens and a steadily deteriorating air quality.
