Bombay HC upholds ban on fire crackers, says let Mumbai be clean city

Bombay High Court has reiterated that there should be no sale of fire crackers in residential areas this Diwali. Division bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur said this while rejecting a petition filed by two fire crackers sellers associations.

Malad Fireworks Dealer's Welfare Association and Jewel Sales Agency from Dadar had approached the court and pleaded that temporary licenses be issued to sellers as their permanent licenses were not renewed by the concerned authorities.

The Bombay High Court had rejected their petitions earlier in August saying that the petitioners needed to approach the appellate authority and not the Bombay High Court if the government is not renewing their licenses. So after this they came back to the court asking for temporary licenses.

Advocate Abhay Parab, appearing for petitioner Chandrakant Lasure who had earlier filed a Public Interest litigation (PIL) in 2015, opposed the petitions. Lasure, a resident of Nashik had filed a PIL highlighting the issue of illegal firecracker shops in residential areas during Diwali and had sought strict vigilance.

The division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade had in 2015 ordered civic authorities in Maharashtra to see to it that storing and selling of firecrackers would not be allowed in residential areas.

The court was expressing concerns over incidents of explosions in factories and shops where firecrackers were made and stored. Petitioner Lasure had also claimed that about 100 people died every year in Maharashtra due to fire crackers and many get blinded because of it.

Justice Chellur's bench was in agreement with Justice Kanade's order and upheld it saying "let Mumbai be a clean city." She even reprimanded the applicants for filing a plea just ahead of Diwali.

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