The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Tuesday on a plea seeking a ban on the manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.
A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, which had reserved its verdict on August 28, is to pronounce the judgement.
The Supreme Court had earlier said there is a need to take into account all aspects, including the fundamental right to livelihood of firecracker manufacturers and the right to health of over 1.3 billion people in the country, while considering a plea for the ban.
The Supreme Court had said Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution applies to both segments of people and it needs to maintain a balance while considering a countrywide ban on firecrackers.
The Supreme Court had asked the Centre to suggest measures to be taken for curbing the pollution and assessing what will be the effect of firecrackers on the public at large.
The Supreme Court had on August 8 said a spike in PM 2.5 levels in the air is a severe problem as the particulate matter remains in people's lungs, leading to serious health implications.
Firecrackers' manufacturers earlier told the Supreme Court that use of firecrackers should not be completely banned and it should instead be strictly regulated.
The firecracker manufacturers contended that the crackers are not the reason for increase in air pollution and there are other factors, like wind and temperature, which contribute to it.
The firecracker manufacturers said they can be deprived of their right to do business based on statements that were not supported by facts.
On October 9 last year, the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali.
Later, the Supreme Court refused to relax its order while dismissing a plea by traders who had sought permission to sell firecrackers for at least a day or two before Diwali on October 19, 2017.
The Supreme Court said its ban order during Diwali that year was an experiment to examine the effect of firecrackers on the pollution levels in the region.
