SC to hear on Oct 10 BJP MP Manoj Tiwari\'s plea on firecrackers ban
Deccan ChronicleNEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on October 10 a plea filed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari against the Delhi government's decision banning the storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2023, to check pollution levels in the national capital. Contending that freedom of religion cannot be taken away under the pretext of the right to life, Tiwari has also sought directions to all states not to take any coercive action like lodging FIR against common people found selling or using permissible firecrackers during the upcoming festival season like Deepawali. The BJP MP, in his plea filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, has said that several state governments and certain high courts had in 2021 passed orders contrary to the stand taken by the apex court and imposed a blanket ban on firecrackers. "With so many different orders, directions and views, it was confusing for the people at large to understand whether the firecrackers were allowed or not despite this court's refusal to put a blanket ban," said the plea, drawn by advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha.