Why it is in the news
On 30 September 2026, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh, hearing Arjun Gopal v. Union of India, ruled out both a nationwide total ban on firecrackers and round-the-clock bursting ahead of Deepavali, and accepted CSIR-NEERI's recommendation for a “limited and conditional relaxation” allowing manufacture of next-generation joined green crackers. The directions are interim — no final order has been passed, and the Court said it will fix specific time windows for bursting.
The exam angle
Issue: How should the State reconcile the right to clean air with livelihoods and festive practice when a seasonal pollutant spikes during the worst air-quality months?