The Supreme Court has brought back the November 2016 ban on sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region.

“Let's try out at least one Diwali without firecrackers,” the top court observed on Monday, suspending the sale of firecrackers in the region. No firecrackers this Diwali.

On November 11, 2016, the Supreme Court had ordered the suspension of all licences permitting the sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail, within the NCR till further orders.

The order was based on a slew of petitions to ban the use of fireworks. Further, the air pollution had become manifold severe after Diwali in 2016.

(This article was originally published in The Hindu)

PTI adds:

The ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) will continue till October 31.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said that the apex court’s September 12 order temporarily lifting the stay and permitting sale of firecrackers would be effective from November 1. This means that no firecrackers will be available for purchase before the festival Diwali in the national capital.

The top court said it has not changed the September 12 order but its November 11, 2016 order banning the sale of firecrackers “should be given a chance“.

The top court, through the 2016 order, had suspended all licences which “permit sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR“.

On September 12 this year, the apex court had temporarily lifted its earlier order and permitted sale of firecrackers.

The apex court’s order came on a plea seeking restoration of the November 2016 order.