Not against particular festival, celebration: SC says follow cracker ban order strictly
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Oct, 2021 10:36 AM
New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Thursday said the firecracker ban order needs to be strictly followed.
A bench headed by Justice M.R. Shah emphasized that it is not against any particular festival, but it is also essential to protect the right to life. The bench also comprising Justice A. S. Bopanna said: "We do not want to come in the way of enjoyment, but for enjoyment one cannot play with the fundamental right of others."
The bench added the authorities entrusted with the task to implement orders must show more responsibility. It clarified that it has not put a 100 per cent ban on firecrackers and all crackers were not banned, but celebration with firecrackers made from banned material should not be permitted.
The bench observed, "Can we say that enjoyment can be done at the cost of other's lives? Today also we can see that crackers are being sold in the market".
It added that last time it had emphasized that there should be some accountability on behalf of those who had to implement the order.
The bench said: "We want full implementation of our orders. We are not against a particular community".
It further added that the court wants to send a strong message that it is there for the protection of fundamental rights of citizens.
The bench said it is not against any particular festival and also not against celebration, but it cannot permit anybody to play with the right to life of others in the guise of celebration.
"We have to enforce the previous orders", added the bench. A counsel in the matter mentioned about the ban of crackers in Delhi. The bench replied, "We know what people of Delhi are suffering...We want implementation of the court's orders".
The hearing in the matter will continue on Friday.
The top court is hearing a plea in the firecrackers case, where it has sought reply from firecracker manufacturers, on a CBI preliminary enquiry report claiming manufacturers were using banned barium chemicals.
Referring to alleged reports of snooping of prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware, senior BJP leader and union minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday said that these kinds of stories are concocted, fabricated and have no evidence.
On Wednesday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal gave permission to the Jantar Mantar demonstration on the condition that a maximum of 200 protesters will be allowed till August 9 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Sidhu sent an invite, signed by some 62 legislators, through working presidents, Kuljit Singh Nagra and Sangat Singh Gilzian, to the 'sulking' Chief Minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
In a statement here, Badal said it was condemnable that the NDA government had targeted Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar and the Bharat Samachar group because they had posed tough questions to the government in keeping with high standards of journalism.
In a written reply to parliamentarian Binoy Viswam in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State (External Affairs) V.A. Muraleedharan said during the unprecedented crisis, the international community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that were not immediately available in the country.
With the Pegasus snoopgate leading to ruckus in the Parliament, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday that the news story on snooping was an attempt to malign India's democracy and its institutions.
