Fireworks Dealers Seek Clarification on Bombay High Court’s Public-Street Ban
Mumbai, 14th October 2026: The Mumbai and Thane District Fireworks Dealers Welfare Association has approached the Bombay High Court, seeking clarification that its order banning the bursting of firecrackers on public streets does not prohibit the lawful manufacture, storage and sale of approved fireworks.
The association has filed an interim application seeking to intervene in the court’s suo motu public-interest litigation on noise and environmental pollution during festivals. It says it represents around 5,000 licensed vendors, stockists, retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers in Maharashtra.
In an order passed on September 22, the High Court directed a total ban on bursting firecrackers on public streets and roads during festivities. The association says it supports action against illegal and unsafe fireworks and is not seeking permission to burst crackers on public streets. It has asked the court to clarify how the order applies to otherwise lawful commercial activity.
The association says some of its members are concerned that the order may be interpreted as restricting the manufacture, storage and sale of fireworks. It has offered to submit licensing, product-approval and testing records, and says it is willing to work with authorities to communicate the applicable restrictions.
Senior counsel Krishna Ratnaparkhi, who is to appear for the intervenors alongside senior counsel Rajendra Desai, said the Supreme Court had orally observed during a hearing on October 12 that “there cannot be a total ban on firecrackers.”
He said the matter was posted for hearing on October 15. Ratnaparkhi also said that, in related proceedings, the Supreme Court had asked the Union government to submit reports from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and had kept the matter open.
The Supreme Court’s observation was oral and is not a final ruling. Those proceedings are separate from the association’s application before the Bombay High Court.
Ratnaparkhi said the High Court matter was expected to be heard on October 15 at about 11 a.m. The association has asked to participate in the case and present its legal, technical and trade-related submissions.
