Nothing more important than preservation of life: SC on firecrackers ban

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Supporting the ban on firecrackers in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismisses a plea against the ban of firecrackers in West Bengal during the ongoing festive season including Diwali.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee dismissed a plea challenging the Calcutta High Court order against the firecracker ban.

"We understand these festivals are important. But when lives are at peril, any effort to save human life should be made... We are very conscious about the importance of festivals but we are living amidst the pandemic and everyone should come out to support the decision which improves the situation," Justice DY Chandrachud observed.

"There cannot be anything more important than the preservation of life in the current pandemic. Life is itself in danger now and people should come together to deal with the problem," he added.

The Calcutta High Court had last week issued a ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers across West Bengal during the festival season including Diwali, Chatt Puja, Kali Puja, etc in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, which according to experts can be aggravated by a rise in air pollution.