Cracker ban: Sellers move SC; Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy says he is unhappy with ban

New Delhi: Traders with temporary licenses on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking relaxation of the ban on the sale of firecrackers in the national capital and the NCR. Lawyers for the petitioner told the apex court that after the lifting of the November 2016 ban on September 12 this year, they had bought firecrackers for sale but the October 9 ban had caused them harm. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi where the matter was mentioned said they would discuss it with Justice A.K. Sikri who has given the October 9 ruling before listing it. Meanwhile, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy said he was unhappy with the ban. "As a Hindu, I am unhappy with the decision of the court, as Diwali is an all India festival and probably, the most important Hindu festival, and bursting crackers is a part of it," Roy said. Agreeing with the ill-effects of crackers on the environment, the Tripura Governor argued that the festival was celebrated on a single day, during a time when pollution is relatively lower. "Pollution mostly happens in winters, while Diwali is celebrated during the end of autumn," Roy said, adding that the court took a good decision when it banned diesel vehicles as cars ply throughout the year as opposed to the one day festival.