Deepawali, Crackers and Pollution: Truth uncovered!
July 14, 2025
  • Read Ecopy
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
MAGAZINE
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
Organiser
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • International Edition
  • RSS in News
  • Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
Home Bharat

Deepawali, Crackers and Pollution: Truth uncovered!

by WEB DESK
Nov 8, 2023, 07:00 am IST
in Bharat, Delhi
FacebookTwitterWhatsAppTelegramEmail

Crackers, especially those burst around Diwali, and the extent of pollution caused by them, have become subjects of an intense debate in the last few years. Given the amount of analysis and dissection already done on the subject, including that done in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, it is rather surprising to note that several key issues have not yet been brought to the fore in public discourse.

This write-up, planned as a series of 5 distinct articles, attempts to bring some of these hitherto untouched issues to light and also provide definitive answers to the questions raised, with the backing of all data, facts, and reasoning.

The broad outline of the issues, as they shall be covered in each part of this series, is given as under:

  1. How a case against air pollution in NCR Delhi transform into a case obsessed with banning crackers across India?
  2. Do crackers cause pollution? What the data tells us. Analysis of 5-year data for Delhi.
  3. Analysis of Supreme Court’s judgment and issues arising from it.
  4. Analysis of “Precautionary Principle” – a key justification given for banning crackers.
  5. How other nations handle fireworks – and Conclusion.

The first of the above topics for this write up:

How did a case against air pollution in Delhi, end up banning crackers across India?

To understand the above, let’s first look at the timeline of the case in Supreme Court.  See table given below:

Crackers, especially those burst around Diwali, and the extent of pollution caused by them, have become subjects of an intense debate in the last few years. Given the amount of analysis and dissection already done on the subject, including that done in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, it is rather surprising to note that several key issues have not yet been brought to the fore in public discourse.

This write-up, planned as a series of 5 distinct articles, attempts to bring some of these, hitherto untouched issues to light and also provide definitive answers to the questions raised –  with the backing of all data, facts and reasoning.

The broad outline of the issues as they shall be covered in each part of this series, is given as under:

  1. How a case against air pollution in NCR Delhi transformed into a case obsessed with banning crackers across India?
  2. Do crackers cause pollution? What the data tells us. Analysis of 5-year data for Delhi.
  3. Analysis of Supreme Court’s judgment and issues arising from it.
  4. Analysis of “Precautionary Principle” – a key justification given for banning crackers.
  5. How other nations handle fireworks – and Conclusion.

The first of the above topics for this write up:

How did a case against air pollution in Delhi, end up banning crackers across India?

To understand the above, let’s first look at the timeline of the case in Supreme Court.  See table given below:

Few Points worth noting from the above summary and detailed study of judgments are:

  1. While the petition ostensibly was for addressing “causes of Air Pollution,” the petitioners and the Hon’ble Supreme Court both seem to have focussed almost exclusively on regulating fireworks.
  2. The focus on banning fireworks is such that no other cause of “Air Pollution” seems to have even been discussed (to any significant extent), investigated or acted upon as a part of the Court proceedings in this case.
  3. The Court from the very beginning seems to have been inclined against fireworks as can be inferred from the order of 16.10.2015 wherein it ordered the govt to give wide-publicity to the “ill-effects of fireworks” even as the hearing of the case had just begun and no substantive or scientific data was made available to it.
  4. The Court has been led to believe that there is a prevailing “national consensus” in the country in favour of banning use of fireworks for Diwali across India.
  5. The final nail, however, in the opinion of the author, seems to have been driven by the submissions made by the Ministry of Environments, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), which concurred with the prevailing consensus and proposed the use of “Green Crackers” as a means of “reducing pollution.”
  6. The last judgment pronounced by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 23.10.2018 is largely an acceptance of the recommendations given by MoEFCC.

It would thus seem like the petitioners in the case have used the larger cause of mitigating “air pollution” in Delhi as a mere cloak to cover the real intent of getting fireworks banned across India. What their reasons are for wanting such a ban, what are their motivations and how funds were arranged to afford top most lawyers like Abhishek M. Singhvi, Kapil Sibal and K.K. Venugopal (he was not the attorney general of India then) are subjects of speculation in which the author would not like to indulge.

That said, another important fact borne out form the points listed above is that the Government of India, through MoEFCC, seems to have supported the interventions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in this case. It may seem a bit difficult to digest for many, especially with BJP in power for the duration of this case, but the fact remains that restrictions being placed on the bursting crackers at the time of Diwali are not because of an unwarranted intrusion by the judiciary into the domain of the executive but rather because of an agreement between both the judiciary and the government.

Whether the people of the country are in agreement with their judiciary and government or not is different matter all-together.

*****

Coming up in the next part – Do crackers cause pollution? Definitive answers with an analysis of the pollution data of Delhi for the last 5 years.

Diwali, Crackers and Pollution – Truth uncovered! Part 5 – How other nations handle fireworks

Topics: Supreme CourtDeepawaliFirecrackers
ShareTweetSendShareSend
✮ Subscribe Organiser YouTube Channel. ✮
✮ Join Organiser's WhatsApp channel for Nationalist views beyond the news. ✮
Previous News

Cricket World Cup 2023: Maxwell hits double ton to take Australia to semifinals, tackles cramps to defeat Afghanistan

Next News

Kashmir’s enchanting autumn: Nature’s masterpiece draws tourists far and wide

Related News

Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha

Bihar voter revision: Dy CM Vijay Sinha welcomes SC decision, says ‘opposition insults constitutional institutions’

A representative image

Bihar: ECI voter revision drive to continue; SC asks commission to consider Aadhaar, ration cards as ID proof

A representative image

Bihar voter list revision: SC agrees to hear petition challenging ECI drive, refuses to pause process for now

Calcutta HC calls Bengal govt’s Muslim-heavy OBC list a “fraud on the constitution,” driven by “religious appeasement”

Representative image

Balancing the Separation of Power: Working within the “Lakshman Rekha”

Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni

Karnataka: CBI takes Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni into custody in BJP leader Yogish Gowda murder case

Load More

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Prambanan Temple Complex in Yogyakarta  in Indonesia

Indonesia Reshapes Spiritual Landscape: 12 Hindu Temples Restored Over Five Decades

Representative Image

Indian Institutes and ISRO collaborate with AXIOM-4 for space research to strengthen Gaganyaan 2027 programme

Global Awards as diplomatic tools: The weaponisation of recognition

Representative image

Timeless beauty of Cuttack Silver filigree craft

Time for ‘Operation Swadeshi’ to Counter Economic Colonisation

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain

“No controversy in voter revision drive, ECI running campaign with good intentions”: BJP leader Shahnawaj Hussain

Representative image

India takes final steps to end Maoist insurgency

India faces new security threats from Bangladesh under Yunus regime

Representative image

India leads the charge for climate justice

Representative Image

“Conspiracy Against Maharaja”: Kashmiri Pandits recount 1931 carnage on July 13

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

  • Home
  • Search Organiser
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • North America
    • South America
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Entertainment
  • More ..
    • Sci & Tech
    • Vocal4Local
    • Special Report
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Law
    • Economy
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
  • Subscribe Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Policies & Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund and Cancellation
    • Terms of Use

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies