Supreme Court restores ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR

Ahead of the festive season of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Monday restored a ban till November 1 on the sale of crackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).

The court gave the verdict on a plea seeking restoration of the apex court's last year order.

Diwali is on October 19 and the order effectively means that no firecrackers will be available for purchase before the festival.

The top court, through its November 11 order last year, had suspended all licences which 'permit a sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR'.

The apex court had last month temporarily lifted its earlier order suspending licences for sale of firecrackers, saying a complete ban would be an 'extreme step' and a graded approach was needed to curb pollution caused by them.

The court, however, had said its order lifting the ban on sale of firecrackers might require a 'review' after Diwali depending on the ambient air quality after the festival.