New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the use of "green" firecracker chains, refused to impose a total ban on firecrackers saying that this would hurt public sentiments, and gave the Centre and expert bodies time till October 15 to complete their assessment of the impact of barium content in other green crackers on ambient air quality. The court's decision once again raises questions on whether firecrackers can ever be truly green, and on the nature and intensity of monitoring to ensure that only green firecrackers are used, and only during the hours permitted. A bench of justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said the court would neither permit a blanket ban on firecrackers nor allow unrestricted use for 24 hours, stressing the need to strike a balance between environmental concerns and public sentiment. "A total ban will hurt certain sentiments and allowing 24 hours will have a huge impact on people, including old people, sick persons and children," it observed. Wednesday's order comes after the Supreme Court first allowed so-called green firecrackers to be burst during Diwali in 2025 - the first time any such fireworks were allowed after years of a blanket prohibition put in place to fight the noxious air quality they left behind. That Diwali, HT's analysis found, Delhi recorded its worst pollution peak since 2021, despite favourable weather. Wednesday's order extends that relaxation nationwide and also clears firecracker chains or joined crackers - called laris - that remained banned even under the 2025 rules. The bench accepted the Centre's position, based on consultations with experts from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), that specified next-generation joined crackers, or "laris", could be permitted subject to prescribed safeguards. Laris are strings of crackers fused to go off one after another. Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the expert bodies were of the view that the new-generation joint crackers could be used as they recorded noise levels below 125 decibels, significantly lower than conventional crackers which generate noise levels ranging between 140 and 160 decibels, besides the fact that they did not use Barium in their compositions....