An Indian parliamentarian has blamed Delhi’s worst air pollution in years on the rich setting off “revenge fireworks” after the Supreme Court lifted a longstanding ban on Diwali pyrotechnics.
The Hindu festival of Diwali was celebrated on Monday by lighting lamps and bursting heavy fireworks. Particulate matter released from the fireworks mixed with seasonal pollution – caused by vehicular traffic, construction activities and the burning of crop residue in neighbouring states – and stagnant weather conditions to drive air quality down in much of northern India.
The court, despite warnings about worsening winter smog, had permitted the use of “green fireworks” for a pair of short windows, from 6am to 7am and 8pm to 10pm, on the eve and the day of the festival, claiming they produced nearly 30 per cent fewer emissions than traditional ones. But the restrictions were widely ignored in the city, with heavy fireworks going off until well past midnight on Monday.
By Tuesday morning, air quality had plunged to its most severe in five years and several parts of the capital were covered in a dense blanket of smog that reduced visibility to a few hundred metres.
The Central Pollution Control Board’s monitoring system classified most of Delhi as experiencing “severe” air quality, with AQI readings at Mandir Marg and Lodhi Road, for example, surging past 1,300.
An AQI reading over 400 indicates “severe” or “hazardous” air quality, a level at which it is considered unhealthy to breathe for everyone and not just those with respiratory or heart problems.
“Those who can afford the revenge fireworks after a decade of its ban in Delhi will have also arranged air purifiers, of course,” lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi said on X.
“My only worry is about the people sleeping on the footpath, small homes with no access to purifiers, hope we have left them with some clean air to breathe, can also hope they will save enough money to buy their own purifiers. Because it is them who rise up everyday to keep the country going.”
Its ruling relaxing the ban, the Supreme Court had said, was a “temporary measure” aimed at balancing public health and industry interests.
A very Happy Diwali to the Delhi Govt, BJP, & the Supreme Court of India.
— Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) October 21, 2025
This pollution IS BECAUSE OF FIREWORKS.
BJP, as usual, will give their 2 standard arguments so let’s bust them in advance:
👉 No, farmers in Punjab did not stay up on Monday night just to burn stubble.… pic.twitter.com/UpUYl7LRhF
It noted that a blanket ban, in place for about a decade, had failed to prevent illegal fireworks from entering the city.
Delhi’s new government, led by prime minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party, had asked the court earlier this year to ease the ban, proposing the use of “green fireworks” as a compromise between “tradition and environment”.
Delhi ranks among the world’s most polluted megacities, with air pollution reducing the average life expectancy of its residents by around 12 years compared with levels deemed safe by the WHO, according to a report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
On Wednesday, a photo went viral on social media of Mr Modi sitting near a luxury air purifier.
“The elected leaders enjoy a pollution-free environment with modern luxuries, while the public suffers from choking pollution,” an X user wrote. “This contrast is truly eye-opening — why would those breathing clean air ever worry about the people gasping for it?”
So, Narendra Modi is using a Philips AC1217 Air Purifier worth INR 14,000 each.
— Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) October 21, 2025
If one is visible in a photo, imagine how many AirPurifiers must be running in his residence.
BJP & Narendra Modi have no concrete plan to tackle air pollution crisis across North India.
And his… pic.twitter.com/tl4vf8IWRX
The Independent could not immediately verify if the picture showing the purifier was legitimate.
In the wake of the Diwali celebrations, hospitals across Delhi reported a sudden surge in patients with respiratory problems.
2024 : Delhi has became a Gas chamber, people are suffering 😭
— Veena Jain (@Vtxt21) October 22, 2025
2025 : You Hindu haters, can't you tolerate Air pollution for 2~3 days in Diwali? 😡
Everything is Nationalist in BJP rule, from Corruption to Pollution.. Everything 🙌🤧
pic.twitter.com/4o5lHR9QvR
The city’s doctors noted an increase in cases of asthma attacks, bronchitis and sundry respiratory problems, particularly among children and the elderly.
At CK Birla Hospital in Gurugram, Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover received at least 15 older patients with pneumonia or respiratory failure after the festival, five of whom required hospitalisation.
“Cases with sudden onset of breathlessness and cough are increasing, and given the current situation, we expect this trend to rise further," he was quoted as telling The New Indian Express.
Medical experts warn the number of patients is likely to rise over the coming days as the thick smog lingers on.
“These pollutants can stay in the air long after the fireworks are over, creating thick smog that can seriously harm babies and young children,” neonatologist Dr Anamika Dubey at Rainbow Children’s Hospital said. “Their lungs and immune systems are still developing, which means they breathe faster and take in more air for their body size. This makes them especially vulnerable to pollution-related damage.”
Environmental experts are also concerned about the broader public health impact of Diwali pollution.
“It’s disheartening that even after years of witnessing the harmful effects of burning firecrackers during Diwali, we continue to deny the reality and repeat the same mistake,” Aarti Khosla, founder and director of Climate Trends, told India Today.
“As individuals, we often overlook how severely this pollution impacts health,” she added, “especially that of children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those who’re unwell.”
#WATCH | Delhi: A local says, "It is the responsibility of everyone. If every individual takes responsibility, then the AQI level can be controlled. Nothing will happen just by the thinking of the government and agencies... There were clear orders to use green crackers, and if we… https://t.co/j8G4cCjAy7 pic.twitter.com/YES0sg7Y2F
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2025
Activists and experts said the sharp rise in Delhi’s air pollution was largely due to local emissions. “With nearly every monitoring station in Delhi now in the red zone, this is a wake-up call,” Bhavreen Kandhari, environmental activist, was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. “Today’s smog isn’t just clouding the sky; it is choking our children’s lungs.”
Fireworks often become a flashpoint for disputes and fights in Delhi during Diwali. This year, Dileep alias Sitamber Prasad, 30, was stabbed to death in the Shahbad Dairy area after an argument over fireworks, police said.
Police officials said he was “beaten by three to four persons, one of whom stabbed him outside his house”. His brother and friend were injured, The Indian Express reported.
