Supreme Court expresses concern over open sale of banned firecrackers in Delhi; orders probe into market violations

The Supreme Court expressed serious worries regarding illegal firecracker sales in Delhi-NCR, and proof from the media that unauthorised sales continue despite the ban placed by the court on November 3, 2026. A bench formed by Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale pointed out images published in the media showing the illegal sales of licensed and unlicensed firecrackers that carried QR codes.

In his address to Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, Justice Sundresh directed to investigate the matter as follows: "Today's report features an image... It shows that the sales are happening in stores despite yesterday's order, which was restricting sales."

Certified green crackers sale

A recent order of November 2 took a step back from the total prohibition of firecracker sales. There is a limited window for the sales of certified green firecrackers prior to Diwali.

When sale is allowed: The sales should happen from November 4 to November 6, 2026.

When firecrackers can be used: The usage of firecrackers is allowed only during specified time slots between 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM on November 7 and November 8.

When ban resumes: The total ban on firecrackers will be put in place once again starting November 9, 2026.

No-cracker zones: The discharge of firecrackers is absolutely banned in the areas that are 300 meters away from hospitals, educational institutions, old-age homes, and specified silence zones.

Mandatory certification and anti-counterfeiting rules

In order to ensure that standard toxic firecrackers do not enter the market as eco-friendly options, it was ruled by the highest court to put in place strict compliance checks.

Manufacturers should possess valid certifications from CSIR-NEERI, as well as authorizations from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). Only the formulations submitted to the formal database of CSIR-NEERI between the dates of November 2 and November 6 should be manufactured.

Every retail package has to be sealed and should contain a batch-specific QR code, which cannot be transferred or duplicated. Scanning such QR code should show the manufacturer registration details together with PESO/DM licenses and chemical formulation. The lack of the QR code or its transferability would lead to the cancellation of the relevant license.

Total ban on barium and series crackers

The Supreme Court affirmed the ban on series connected firecrackers (often referred to as “ladis”) and any other formulations, which include harmful barium salts.

Law enforcement agencies across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad have been instructed to monitor local markets and impound unapproved inventory before the official sales window opens on Wednesday.

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