India, Oct. 15 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday eased the complete ban on firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region ahead of Diwali, permitting the limited use of environmentally friendly green crackers under strict regulations.

A bench led by Chief Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, along with Justice K Vinod Chandran, issued the ruling. The court balanced environmental concerns, festive sentiments, and the livelihoods of cracker manufacturers in its decision. It noted that conventional firecrackers are often smuggled into the region, causing additional harm.

Under the new guidelines, firecrackers may be burst only during two daily time slots - between 6 am and 7 am, and again from 8 pm to 10 pm - over four days from October 18 to 21.

Only...