Today, the Supreme Court rejected petitions that sought authorization for the production and sale of fireworks containing barium as well as combined fireworks.

A division bench of Justices A S Bopanna and M M Sundresh said the court has reiterated its 2018 ban and directions on bursting of conventional firecrackers to curb pollution.

"We are dismissing two applications seeking manufacture and sale of firecrackers containing barium and joint firecrackers. We have not interfered with the 2018 directions and reiterated them," the bench said, adding that the authorities concerned have to comply with the directions.

Earlier, while reserving its judgment on a petition aimed at prohibiting barium-containing firecrackers to combat pollution, particularly in the Delhi-NCR region, the bench instructed the city's police not to grant temporary licenses for the sale and storage of any type of firecrackers. The rationale behind this decision was that since the Delhi government had imposed a blanket ban on all firecrackers, distinctions based on whether they were environmentally friendly or not should not be made.

The top court banned conventional firecrackers in 2018 and only allowed the bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.