The Supreme Court questioned the Delhi government and police on why the ban on firecrackers during Diwali was not followed.

Supreme Court of India (Sanjay Sharma)

The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Delhi government and police on why the ban on firecrackers during Diwali was not followed, amid the severe air pollution issue persisting in the national capital. Further, the apex court sought a response from the AAP government and Delhi police over the flouting of the firecracker ban in the capital.

The court said that a chaotic situation is created is pollution by crackers is not controlled, and asked the government and capital police to explain what measures they are taking to prevent such a failure in the future.

The court also asked the state to consider having a perpetual ban on crackers in Delhi, without restricting it to festival time. The court also sought responses from Punjab and Haryana to explain how farm fires during Diwali increased, as per a report by Centre for Science and Environment.

The Supreme Court directed that all responses be filed in a week, and posted the hearing of the matter on November 14.

This comes after the firecracker ban in Delhi during Diwali was openly flouted, and the national capital saw a thick grey layer of smog on the very next day, with the air quality falling in the severe category in many areas.