Supreme Court Allows Only Certified Green Crackers in Delhi-NCR for Two Days; NGT Seeks Compensation Details for Odisha Explosion
The Supreme Court allowed the bursting of certified green crackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) only on November 7 and 8, 2026, and only during two short windows: 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm.
No crackers may be burst within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, old-age homes, educational institutions and notified silence zones. These zones must be marked on the ground and made public.
Only manufacturers holding green-cracker certification from CSIR-NEERI and PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) may make approved green crackers, and only from November 2 to 6, 2026. Joined crackers (ladis), garlands, crackers with barium and any cracker not approved by CSIR-NEERI are banned. Every box must carry a batch-specific QR code showing the maker, licence, formula and test certificate.
Sales are allowed only at spots chosen by district authorities with the police. Online sale is banned. Makers and traders must give a security deposit, which they lose if they break the rules.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), with the State Pollution Control Boards, must track the Air Quality Index (AQI) and prepare three reports: before Diwali (November 2 to 6), during Diwali (November 7 and 8) and after Diwali (November 9 to 30). Broken air-monitoring stations must be repaired at once.
Separately, the eastern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked the Boudh district administration in Odisha for full details of an explosion at an illegal firecracker storeroom that reportedly killed one person and injured eight. The NGT said the Odisha government's liability to pay compensation to the victims and to owners of damaged houses must be examined, and asked that the state government be added as a party.
Green Crackers: Less-Polluting Firecrackers and the Law Behind Them
Green crackers are firecrackers made with a changed chemical recipe so that they give out less smoke, dust and harmful gases than normal crackers. They were developed by CSIR-NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, a government science lab in Nagpur). They are "less polluting", not "pollution-free". Courts now allow only such crackers in polluted areas like Delhi-NCR, and only for short, fixed hours.
The Court's new order is built entirely around the green-cracker system: only CSIR-NEERI and PESO certified makers may produce them, barium and joined crackers are banned, and each box must carry a QR code so fake "green" crackers can be caught.
Air Quality Index (AQI) Framework
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a single number, from 0 to 500, that tells people how clean or polluted the air is on a given day. Instead of many separate pollutant readings, it gives one number, one colour and one word, such as "Good" or "Very Poor". The higher the number, the worse the air. In India, it is run by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The Supreme Court asked the CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards to compare AQI before, during and after Diwali. This before-and-after data will show how much the two days of green crackers actually affected Delhi-NCR's air.
National Green Tribunal (NGT)
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a special court-like body that hears cases about the environment. It was set up in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. Its job is to decide environmental cases quickly and with expert knowledge, and to order relief and compensation for people harmed by pollution or environmental damage.
In the Boudh firecracker blast case, the NGT's eastern bench is using its Section 15 power to work out who must pay compensation to the dead person's family, the injured and the owners of damaged houses, including whether the Odisha government itself is liable for failing to stop an illegal storeroom.
- Green crackers allowed in Delhi-NCR: November 7 and 8, 2026, only 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm
- No-cracker zone: 300 metres around hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, old-age homes, educational institutions and silence zones
- Manufacturing window for certified makers: November 2 to 6, 2026
- Banned: joined crackers (ladis), garlands, barium-based crackers, and any cracker not approved by CSIR-NEERI
- Certification bodies: CSIR-NEERI (formula) and PESO (explosives licence, under the Explosives Act, 1884)
- AQI monitoring periods: pre-Diwali (November 2 to 6), Diwali (November 7 and 8), post-Diwali (November 9 to 30)
- NGT eastern bench: Boudh (Odisha) illegal firecracker storeroom blast, reportedly 1 dead and 8 injured
- NGT Act, 2010: Section 15 (relief and compensation), Section 20 (polluter pays, precautionary principle, sustainable development), Section 22 (appeal to the Supreme Court within 90 days)