The apex court stands firm on its ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR till November 1. The Supreme Court, on Friday (October 13), while hearing a group of firecracker traders, said that it was pained and saddened by the communal twist being given to the matter. “We are pained to hear that some people are trying to give a communal colour to our order. It is sad,” said the bench.

The bench, comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan refused to even modify the ban as it would go against the very spirit of the earlier top court judgment. He said that the crackers that have been bought already can be burst.

“We haven’t stopped the bursting of crackers. That will happen. Sale had already taken place. Anyway it is not a cracker-free Diwali,” the court said.

When senior advocate Prashant Bhushan pointed out some statements made by political leaders, the court said: “Don’t bring in politics. These are statements made off the cuff. It’s the anguish expressed on our order.”

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the firecracker traders, requested for a little more time to sell the crackers, which the top court refused. He also asked for permitting bursting of crackers for a restricted time.

The traders had sought permission to sell crackers for a day or two before Diwali. The traders had sought a relaxation of the court’s October 9 order banning crackers in Delhi NCR.

The traders also brought to the court’s notice that their licences were revived after the court’s September 12 order in which it had temporarily lifted the stay. The traders had invested heavily after that but with the latest order they will have to incur huge losses.

—India Legal Bureau