India, Oct. 12 -- The Supreme Court on Monday said a "practical and pragmatic" approach was needed to regulate firecrackers, stressing that religious sentiments should be respected while protecting public health.

The court was hearing a suo motu petition on the ban of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. Last year, it allowed people to burst firecrackers on specified days and limited hours.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, "We will not hurt religious sentiments, but we would need to balance it. The moment we will pass a restrictive order, people will take it as a coercive action. We need to have a pragmatic and practical way."

It suggested promoting less harmful crackers and creating public awareness about their im...