SC refuses to relax firecracker ban

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to modify its October 9 order banning the sale of fire crackers in Delhi and NCR this Diwali and expressed anguish that its order was being given a communal twist. "We are pained to hear that some people are giving the order a communal colour. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very spiritual person in such matters," said Justice A.K. Sikri, who along with two other judges authored the October 9 ban. Refusing to revisit the ban order, Justice Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan said: "We are not entering into any debate and none of the religious considerations had influenced our ban order. "The court has not stopped the people from celebrating the Diwali festival." The court said this as one of the petitioners said Diwali was not only celebrated by the Hindus but also by Jains and Sikhs. On Monday, the Supreme Court in an effort to check pollution, slapped a temporary ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR region during Diwali.