The Aakhya Weekly #168 | The Supreme Court’s Recalibration of India’s Crackers Policy

Oct 17, 2025

In Focus: The Great Diwali Dilemma

Every Diwali brings with it a familiar dilemma: the sparkle of celebrations against the smog of pollution. The festival of lights, long symbolising joy and renewal, increasingly finds itself shadowed by air quality concerns that linger long after the diyas fade. In this backdrop, India’s experiment with “green crackers” represents both a policy innovation and a test of implementation, a delicate balancing act between cultural tradition and environmental stewardship.

What Are Green Crackers?

Green crackers are a modified version of traditional firecrackers, designed to emit fewer pollutants and create less noise. Developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR–NEERI), these fireworks exclude or limit harmful chemicals like barium, lithium, lead, and mercury. The formulations claim to reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 30% while producing lower decibel levels.

Certification and safety regulation are overseen by PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation), with each genuine green cracker bearing a QR-coded logo that consumers can scan to verify authenticity.

The Genesis of India’s Green Crackers Policy

The push for cleaner celebrations began in 2015, when a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court highlighted the severe health impact of Delhi’s post-Diwali smog, especially on children. Responding to this, the Court in 2018 (Arjun Gopal vs Union of India) restricted the use of conventional firecrackers and permitted only “green crackers” under regulated conditions.

By 2019, the government formally launched certified green crackers. However, despite their availability, enforcement gaps, fake labels, and low public awareness diluted the intended impact.

The 2025 Supreme Court Decision: From Ban to Balance

The recent Supreme Court ruling for Diwali 2025 marks a significant policy recalibration. Instead of a blanket ban, the Court permitted the sale and use of certified green crackers within Delhi NCR, under strict regulatory and temporal controls.

Only NEERI-approved crackers bearing authentic QR codes can be sold between October 18–20, and bursting is restricted to designated zones from 6–7 a.m. and 8–10 p.m. Enforcement will involve joint monitoring teams from the police, State Pollution Control Boards, and PESO, with violations inviting immediate suspension of licences and seizures. Online sales and imports into NCR remain banned.

This approach reflects a shift from prohibition to regulated participation, recognising that environmental governance often requires calibrated flexibility rather than absolute bans.

Effectiveness and Enforcement Challenges

While laboratory results show a 30% reduction in particulate emissions, on-ground results remain mixed. In past years, even limited use of green crackers coincided with AQI spikes with PM2.5 levels rising to 16 times the pre-Diwali baseline in Delhi. The challenge lies less in science, more in enforcement.

Counterfeit crackers, misuse of QR labels, and limited consumer understanding blur the distinction between green and traditional fireworks. Cross-border inflows from states with weaker regulation further undermine compliance. Experts repeatedly caution that “less harmful does not mean safe”, highlighting the limits of technology when behaviour change is slow. Even in years when only green crackers were allowed (or when all crackers were banned), Delhi’s air quality post-Diwali often worsened significantly. One study observed that on Diwali, ambient PM2.5 concentrations in Delhi rose to ~16 times pre-firework levels; many toxic metals (K, Ba, Sr, etc.) peaked.

Global Comparisons: Learning from Other Models

Internationally, India’s “green cracker” experiment is relatively unique, as most nations regulate fireworks through timing, scale, or location rather than chemical composition.

Europe restricts sales to specific windows like New Year’s Eve, with noise and hazard-based categorisation of fireworks.
The United States delegates control to local jurisdictions, focusing more on safety and fire hazards than emissions.
China and several East Asian cities have gone further, banning private fireworks in dense urban areas and favouring centralised display fireworks to reduce air and noise pollution.

The takeaway is clear: sustainable celebration is achievable when cultural expression is balanced with civic responsibility and local enforcement capacity.

Policy Implications & Lessons

From the Indian case and international comparisons, several policy lessons emerge:

Regulatory design must balance cultural traditions, environmental protection, and economic livelihoods
The Supreme Court itself noted that traditions and religious/cultural norms cannot override health and the right to clean air. At the same time, the livelihoods of workers in the fireworks industry (many from small, informal units) are affected. Effective policy must consider compensation, alternate livelihood, or gradual transition.
Certification, verification, and transparency are crucial.
Without reliable methods of distinguishing green vs non-green crackers (e.g. genuine QR codes, labelling, testing), the policy loses force. Counterfeits or misuse of labels undermine legitimacy. Public awareness campaigns are needed. Regular independent testing and public access to approved lists of green crackers help.
Temporal and spatial restrictions help limit peak pollution.
Limiting times (morning/evening), restricting sale periods, designated locations, banning sales through e-commerce, etc., as seen in the recent court order, are important tools to reduce aggregate emissions.
Monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive regulation.
Continuous air quality monitoring (before, during, after festivals), periodic assessments of emission reductions, and updating standards in response to data are needed. The “test case” nature of the 2025 order (i.e. temporary relaxation) reflects this approach.
Complementary policies are needed.
Green crackers alone are not sufficient. Other sources of pollution (vehicular emissions, biomass/stubble burning, industry, etc.) also spike at the same time. To get meaningful air quality improvement, a holistic approach is required.
Enforcement capacity at the local level matters
Even with strong central decisions, implementation depends on state governments, district collectors, police, and pollution control boards. Clear legal penalties, resources for enforcement (e.g. patrolling teams, sampling, labs), and clarity in roles are essential.

Recent Supreme Court Decision (2025): Significance & Risks

After years of stringent bans, including the 2024 blanket prohibition in NCR, the Supreme Court’s relaxation marks a pivotal policy shift, acknowledging the feasibility of certified green crackers while balancing environmental concerns with cultural and economic realities. The ruling institutionalises certification through QR codes, prescribes fixed time slots and designated areas for bursting, and underscores the need for real-time monitoring, signalling a more pragmatic approach to festive regulation.

Despite its progressive intent, the policy faces hurdles. Weak verification may reduce green crackers to a mere label, while simultaneous large-scale use can still spike pollution levels. Enforcement against smuggling and illicit trade remains a persistent challenge. For small manufacturers, particularly in Sivakasi, which produces nearly 90% of India’s fireworks, the transition to eco-friendly production demands costly technology and compliance upgrades. Without state-backed support, many risk displacement. A just transition framework, offering capacity-building aid, subsidised tech access, and phased compliance, is essential to ensure that sustainability doesn’t come at the cost of livelihoods.

Metrics for Success / What Should Be Measured Going Forward

To judge effectiveness, policymakers should track:

Air Quality Index (AQI / PM2.5 / PM10, etc.) before, during, and after permitted bursting periods; compare against years with bans vs green cracker windows.
Chemical speciation: measure levels of specific pollutants (barium, lead, arsenic, etc.) to see if green cracker restrictions are being followed.
Compliance rates: proportion of crackers sold or used that are certified green; number of licence violations; seizures, etc.
Health outcomes: hospital admissions for respiratory ailments, particularly for sensitive populations and noise levels at areas where fireworks are lit.
Economic impact on the fireworks industry and small manufacturers / informal workers.

Conclusion & Recommendations

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to permit limited use of green crackers in Delhi-NCR under strict conditions represents an evolution in policy: from blanket bans towards regulated use with technological and environmental safeguards. It demonstrates the possibility of striking a balance between cultural practices and environmental health.

However, for the policy to deliver meaningful improvements rather than symbolic compliance, the following are recommended:

Strengthen certification and verification systems — ensure the green cracker QR-code / labelling system is robust, with random checks, lab testing, and penalties for counterfeit goods.
Public awareness & education campaigns ahead of festivals, so consumers know how to identify genuine green crackers and understand the restrictions in place.
Improved inter-agency coordination — between central regulators (NEERI, PESO, CPCB), state boards, police, and local authorities.
Long-term commitments beyond festivals — possibly extending regulation to continuous reduction of harmful fireworks, innovation in quieter or visually oriented alternatives, or incentivising display fireworks over private bursting.
Economic support & transition for industry — helping smaller manufacturers adapt, comply with newer formulations, and ensuring that regulation doesn’t unduly harm workers in the informal sector.
Data-driven policy review — using emissions monitoring, health data, and environmental impact studies, to periodically assess what is working and what is not; adjust time windows, permissible zones, or chemical thresholds accordingly.

Overall, the Supreme Court’s recent green cracker policy is a positive step, but its success will depend heavily on implementation, enforcement, public cooperation, and continuous monitoring. The policy must evolve rather than stay static, to stay relevant and effective in reducing pollution while respecting cultural practices.

A Few Good Reads

Fmr. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin argues that India should limit reliance on any single partner for energy, trade, or technology needs to no more than 25% to avoid geopolitical vulnerabilities and stay resilient in a fractured world.
Martin Vander Weyer warns of AI-driven job disruptions in the UK, noting a sharp decline in vacancies and a shift to skills-based hiring, signalling potential short-term turmoil before productivity gains.
China’s rare-earth export curbs are a strategic power play, aimed at dominating critical tech supply chains and reshaping global tech geopolitics, writes Meheli Roy Choudhury.
Tulsi Jayakumar calls for systemic economic reforms to fully integrate women’s participation and boost India’s growth potential, beyond token measures.
Kaushik Das Gupta urges year-round reforms rather than blaming Diwali fireworks, suggesting that green crackers alone won’t solve Delhi’s pollution crisis.

The Aakhya Weekly

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