India’s top court has backed a limited path for newer, less-polluting firecracker technology ahead of the festive season while refusing both a nationwide blanket ban and unrestricted bursting. The Supreme Court has permitted specified next-generation joint green crackers, commonly known as laris, subject to technical safeguards covering their composition, shell size, number of shells, noise output and time between bursts. At the same time, it has given the Centre and expert agencies until October 15 to complete further testing of newer formulations containing barium.

The distinction is important. The ruling does not mean every product marketed as environmentally friendly is now permitted, nor does it give people the right to burst crackers throughout the day. The court said the eventual framework must balance festive practices with health concerns affecting children, older people and those with illnesses. The decision arrives only weeks before Diwali, when deteriorating air quality and seasonal pollution routinely become major public-health concerns across northern India.

Supreme Court on Green Crackers: What the New Order Means Ahead of Diwali

The latest hearing arose from the long-running Arjun Gopal v Union of India proceedings, which began with a petition seeking stronger controls on firecrackers because of their impact on public health. The bench rejected the idea of either extreme: a complete prohibition everywhere or unrestricted use for 24 hours.

Instead, the court said authorities need to decide which products may be used and during what time periods. That means festive use will remain regulated. The permitted next-generation joint crackers have been examined by expert bodies including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, or CSIR-NEERI, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and the Central Pollution Control Board.

What Are Next-Generation Joint Crackers?

Joint crackers, often called laris, are strings of multiple small crackers that explode one after another. The newer version considered by the court differs from conventional varieties in several ways. According to submissions recorded during the hearing, manufacturers must comply with requirements covering:

• Shell size
• Number of shells
• Time between consecutive bursts
• Permitted chemical composition
• Noise limits

The government told the court that these newer products do not contain barium in the formulation currently cleared for joint crackers and recorded noise levels below 125 decibels in testing. Conventional varieties can be considerably louder. Indian Express separately reported that CSIR-NEERI testing showed about a 30% reduction in emissions and between 4% and 32% lower solid-waste generation for the approved next-generation design, subject to compliance with chemical and noise standards.

Those reductions do not make the products pollution-free. They are designed to produce fewer emissions than conventional crackers.

Why Is Barium Still Under Review?

Barium is where the case becomes more complicated. The court had previously prohibited barium salts in conventional crackers because of concerns over harmful emissions released during combustion. However, scientists have since developed newer Generation-2 formulations containing controlled quantities of the chemical, prompting requests for fresh testing rather than an automatic rejection. The Centre told the court that laboratory studies of these formulations showed reductions of roughly 45% to 60% in PM10 emissions compared with conventional products. But laboratory results are not enough to settle the question.

CSIR-NEERI has therefore been asked to conduct open-ground testing in:

• Delhi
• Bhopal
• Kolkata
• Chennai

The aim is to determine how barium-containing formulations affect real-world ambient air quality, rather than relying only on controlled laboratory conditions. The Centre and expert institutions have until October 15 to complete that assessment. Until then, the barium question remains open.

Does This Mean All Firecrackers Are Now Legal?

No. One of the biggest risks in interpreting the order is treating it as a general permission for firecrackers. It is not. Only specified formulations meeting approved standards are covered by the present relaxation. Manufacturers will still have to comply with technical requirements, safety regulations and any certification process applicable to their products. Conventional products containing prohibited chemicals remain outside the permitted category.

The court also made clear that bursting cannot continue throughout the day and night. A final regulatory structure is expected to specify both permitted categories and allowed timings.

Delhi-NCR Has a Separate Legal Complication

The position in Delhi-NCR deserves particular caution. Restrictions covering the National Capital Region are also being considered in the separate M.C. Mehta v Union of India environmental litigation. Because the two sets of proceedings overlap, the bench said the Delhi-NCR question should be considered alongside that case before the appropriate bench headed by the Chief Justice of India. So the latest order should not be interpreted as unrestricted permission across Delhi-NCR. Specific local restrictions and timings can still depend on subsequent court directions and government enforcement.

Why Diwali Pollution Remains a Concern

The environmental debate has not disappeared simply because cleaner formulations exist. Experts quoted by Hindustan Times on October 1 warned that lower-emission products still produce emissions. A cracker that releases 30% or 40% less particulate matter is cleaner than a conventional one, but it does not produce zero emissions.

That matters especially in Delhi-NCR, where winter weather can trap pollutants close to the surface. During the festive season, emissions from transport, industry, construction dust, biomass burning, farm fires and cracker use can combine under unfavourable meteorological conditions. This is why Diwali pollution cannot be attributed to a single source, but additional combustion can aggravate an already stressed airshed.

Last year also exposed an enforcement problem. Hindustan Times reported that boxes carrying “green” or “eco-friendly” labels were found without proper certification or QR codes, making it difficult for consumers and enforcement teams to distinguish compliant products from conventional ones.

What Happened During Diwali 2025?

The 2025 festive season provides important context. For a limited period around Diwali, certified lower-emission crackers were permitted in Delhi-NCR under restricted timings.

But Hindustan Times reported that conventional products also entered the market and were widely used despite the rules. The Capital subsequently recorded its most polluted Diwali period in five years despite weather conditions that were relatively favourable.

That does not establish that crackers alone caused the deterioration. Delhi’s seasonal pollution comes from multiple sources. But the experience demonstrates that a technically cleaner product can only deliver its intended environmental benefit if authorities can prevent illegal products from being sold alongside it.

How Are Genuine Green Products Identified?

Certified products developed under the NEERI system are expected to comply with approved chemical formulations and regulatory requirements. Consumers should be cautious about packaging that simply uses words such as “eco-friendly” without evidence of certification. The challenge is particularly serious because visually, an illegal conventional cracker can resemble a compliant product. Authorities therefore rely on manufacturer registration, certification, approved formulations and product identification systems rather than marketing language alone. This enforcement issue may become one of the most important practical tests of the new framework.

Why the Court Rejected a Total Ban

The court’s position was that environmental protection must be balanced with other considerations rather than resolved through an automatic nationwide prohibition. During the hearing, it noted that a complete ban could affect public sentiment, while unrestricted bursting could create serious problems for vulnerable people. That reasoning led to the middle path now being considered: approved products, controlled timings and technical standards.

The Supreme Court has also stressed in earlier hearings that judges should give appropriate weight to scientific expert opinion when deciding complex environmental questions rather than substituting judicial assumptions for technical findings. This is why the barium issue has been sent for additional scientific testing instead of being resolved solely through legal argument.

Are These Crackers Really ‘Green’?

The word “green” can be misleading if it is interpreted to mean harmless. Scientists involved in the technology describe these products more accurately as less polluting. They reduce certain emissions or eliminate specific harmful chemicals compared with older formulations. They still involve combustion. That means they can still release particulate matter, gases and noise.

The environmental advantage is relative, not absolute. This distinction becomes particularly important when poor air quality already exists before the first cracker is burst.

What Happens Next?

Three developments now matter.

First, manufacturers of the approved next-generation joint products must follow the prescribed technical conditions.

Second, CSIR-NEERI and other expert bodies must complete real-world testing of the barium-based variants by October 15.

Third, courts and authorities still need to settle detailed rules on permitted timings and the position applicable specifically to Delhi-NCR. Those decisions will determine how broad the practical relaxation becomes before Diwali.