The Bombay High Court has extended its total ban on bursting firecrackers on public streets, roads, lanes and footpaths in Mumbai throughout the year, covering all festivals and not only the current festive period. The direction was issued on Thursday, October 15, during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation and other pleas concerning noise and air pollution.
A division bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Neela K Gokhale directed that the order passed on September 22, 2026, would apply throughout the year and to all festivals. The earlier order had been issued during Ganeshotsav, amid concerns over high levels of noise pollution and the use of public streets for bursting firecrackers.
The court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to jointly issue notices through news media and social media platforms. The notices must state that burning firecrackers at all public places, including streets, lanes and footpaths, will not be permitted.
The bench also directed the Maharashtra government, BMC and MPCB to establish an awareness mechanism within a week. This is to include programmes in schools, public announcements and display boards in trains and buses. Authorities have also been asked to inform citizens about the health effects of firecracker toxicity and appeal to them to avoid fireworks that generate noise and air pollution.
During the hearing, the judges said toxic pollution affects senior citizens, children and others, and becomes “impossible after Diwali”. The bench remarked that changing conditions required a different approach to public firecracker use. It also observed that authorities had failed to control the burning of firecrackers and said that the issue involved the rights of citizens.
The court clarified that its direction does not amount to a ban on the manufacture or sale of firecrackers. It also said that it was not restricting festivals or other activities, but was limiting the practice of bursting firecrackers in public places. The order therefore places the immediate enforcement responsibility on civic and pollution-control authorities, rather than creating a blanket prohibition on private purchase or manufacture.
The court asked authorities to encourage the use of green, low-emission crackers and to emphasise a limited period for bursting them. The direction comes as Navratri celebrations continue and ahead of Diwali, when Mumbai typically sees a sharp increase in firecracker use and related concerns over noise and air quality.
The next administrative step is for the state government, BMC and MPCB to issue the required public notices and establish the awareness mechanism within the one-week period specified by the court.
