The Supreme Court on Friday, September 12, questioned why firecracker bans are in place for Delhi-NCR and not other cities facing severe pollution. Chief Justice BR Gavai stressed that any firecracker policy "has to be on a pan-India basis", questioning if citizens in NCR are entitled to clean air, "why not people of other cities?"
"We can't have a policy just for Delhi because they are elite citizens of the country. I was in Amritsar last winter, and the pollution was worse than in Delhi. If firecrackers are to be banned, they should be banned throughout the country," the CJI said, as quoted by India Today.
"If citizens residing in NCR are entitled to pollution-free air, why not the citizens in the other parts of the country? ...Just because this is the Capital City or the Supreme Court is situated here, we should have a pollution-free (air) but not other citizens in the country?" said the bench.
Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh backed the argument, stating, "elites take care of themselves. They go out of Delhi when there's pollution". Meanwhile, the bench has issued notice to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on a plea seeking a nationwide ban on firecrackers, India Today reported. The apex court's observation comes as Diwali is approaching, when air quality deteriorates dramatically, particularly due to fireworks and stubble burning.
The top court was hearing a number of applications filed by the Association of Firework Traders, Indic Collective, and Haryana Firework Manufacturers, challenging the one-year ban on the sale and manufacture of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region. They cited the loss of livelihood for those dependent on the industry, as per a Hindustan Times report.