Supreme Court Permits Green Crackers in Delhi-NCR on 7 and 8 November

The Supreme Court allowed the bursting of certified green firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region on 7 and 8 November 2026, with the full ban restored from 9 November.

A bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale set the windows at 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on both days. Diwali falls on 8 November. No bursting is permitted within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes or notified silence zones.

Manufacturers holding valid CSIR-NEERI and PESO certification may produce only the green crackers listed on the CSIR-NEERI website between 2 and 6 November. Sale of series crackers (ladis) and garlands is prohibited. Crackers containing barium or lacking NEERI approval remain banned.

The court temporarily restored licences for traders so they can sell approved green crackers between 4 and 6 November. The order, dated 29 October, became public on 2 November. It follows a similar limited relaxation granted for Diwali in the previous year.

Delhi-NCR has operated under a near-total firecracker ban for several seasons because of winter air-quality problems. The green-cracker category was developed to reduce emissions of particulate matter and certain metals. Enforcement has varied; police and pollution-control boards will monitor the two-day window.

The 300-metre exclusion zones cover a large share of dense residential and institutional areas. Residents near hospitals and schools will see no change from the permanent ban. Outside those zones the morning and evening slots are the only periods when bursting is lawful.

Authorities have not announced additional public-transport or traffic measures tied to the order. Air-quality monitoring stations will record particulate levels on 7 and 8 November. Previous Diwali periods have shown sharp overnight spikes even under restricted rules.

Traders must ensure that only NEERI-listed products leave their premises. QR codes or other verification marks are expected on packaging. Any cracker not matching the published list remains illegal to sell or use.

The restoration of the complete ban on 9 November returns the region to the status quo that has applied for most of the year. The two-day window is the sole exception for 2026. State pollution boards and Delhi police will issue local advisories before 7 November.

The order does not alter bans in other cities that have their own restrictions. Its effect is confined to Delhi-NCR. Compliance will depend on the number of enforcement teams deployed during the short permitted hours.

Manufacturers have a narrow production window. Only crackers already certified and uploaded to the NEERI site can be made in the next four days. The restriction on series crackers eliminates the most common high-volume products used in previous years.

The decision balances a limited cultural exception against the region’s winter pollution pattern. Whether the two-day allowance produces a measurable rise in particulate matter will be visible in the air-quality data released after 8 November.