'Everything is available': SC flags open sale of firecrackers in Delhi despite restrictions

The judge also referred to the report's claims that licensed and unlicensed crackers, including those with and without QR codes, were being sold openly.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday flagged the alleged open sale of conventional and uncertified firecrackers in Delhi markets despite its recent order allowing only certified green crackers ahead of Diwali.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale referred to a media report published on Tuesday, which highlighted the availability of different varieties of firecrackers in several markets across the national capital, according to Bar and Bench.The bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to look into the alleged violations."In today's report, there's a photograph, they say that notwithstanding yesterday's order, now everything is available in the (firecracker) shops.

Please look into it," Justice Sundresh told Bhati.The judge also referred to the report's claims that licensed and unlicensed crackers, including those with and without QR codes, were being sold openly."They say that in the market every other cracker, licensed, unlicensed, QR code, or no QR code, everything is available. Please take a note of it," he said.

Also read: SC on Diwali: Crackers on Nov 7-8 in 2 time slots, and keep it greenOn November 2, the Supreme Court allowed the sale of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR from November 4 to 6 and their use on November 7 and 8, subject to restrictions.

Firecrackers can be burst only between 6am and 7am and 8pm and 10pm on these two days. A complete ban will be restored from November 9.The court had clarified that only firecrackers certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) could be manufactured and sold.It also restricted sales to designated locations and prohibited online sales. Each box must carry a product-specific QR code to verify its certification. The manufacture of firecracker strings, or laris, and crackers containing barium was also prohibited.