A shopkeeper arranges boxes of fire crackers at his shop on Tuesday. PTI Photo A shopkeeper arranges boxes of fire crackers at his shop on Tuesday. PTI Photo

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to modify its order suspending licence for sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR ahead of Diwali. The interim application came up for hearing before a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri. The bench, however, indicated that it had not put any ban on bursting of crackers.

A section of traders in the national capital had on Thursday mentioned the matter before the apex court for an urgent hearing and said their licences were revived in pursuance of the court’s order passed on September 12 and they had procured firecrackers for sale during Diwali.

The traders told the top court that a huge amount of money has been invested by them after their licences were revived and the latest order would cause huge loss to them.

The Supreme Court, while banning sale of firecrackers till November 1, had said that its September 12 order temporarily lifting the stay and permitting sale of firecrackers, would be made effective only from November one.

It had said its November 11, 2016 order suspending the licences “should be given one chance to test itself” to see if there would be a positive effect of this, particularly during Diwali.

The court, in its last year’s direction, had suspended all licenses which permits sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR till further orders. It had said the 2016 order was passed by the court in view of the alarming pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR that had arisen after last Diwali.

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