The Supreme Court order that banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday may have a loophole — sale of firecrackers online.

Several manufacturers such as sell firecrackers online through their cockbrand.in, ayyanonline, buyonlinecrackers.com, crackersindia.com. Some websites also mention that the minimum order should be worth at least Rs 3,000. The apex court order misses out on a directive for such online sale of firecrackers.

On Monday, the Supreme Court had ordered a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, with an eye on the air pollution levels in the national capital, especially immediately after Diwali festival. Its directive, however, doesn't mention anything about bursting crackers.

As an advocate argues in this News18 report: "Say for example the firecracker business is based out of Bengaluru, and the order is made from Delhi, the seller can reject the order considering the area of purchase falls under the SC order. Likewise, if the firecracker brand is selling its products online from Delhi, it should ideally curb its practices because the SC has banned sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.”

The top court's order also does not specify what happens to all those who bring in firecrackers into Delhi-NCR from neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh or Haryana where sale of firecrackers is legal. As there is no ban on bursting firecrackers, those who have already stocked the crackers would still be able to burst them which would throw the court's attempt to curb air pollution, into disarray.

Writer Chetan Bhagat, among many others on Monday had expressed disagreement with the apex court's order, saying it should be regulated not banned.