SC to hear tomorrow plea to restore ban on firecrackers in Delhi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today said that it would consider tomorrow a plea seeking restoration of its November last year’s order banning firecrackers in Delhi- National Capital Region (NCR).

The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan which said that it would consider the plea tomorrow.

Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that they were seeking restoration of the November 11, 2016, order which had suspended all licences which “permit sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR”.

He sought recall of the September 12 this year’s order which had temporarily lifted the November 2016 order suspending licences for sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. “We are seeking recall of this (September 12) order and restoration of the earlier order of November 2016,” Shankarnarayanan said, adding, “the ban order of 2016 should continue”.

The plea was filed by one Arjun Gopal seeking recall of the recent apex court order temporarily permitting sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.

The court had also set up a committee to study the impact of the firecrackers on the health of city residents during the upcoming festivals and directed the police to slash by half the number of temporary licences this year compared to last year and cap it at 500.