India, Sept. 12 -- The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the basis for having a firecracker ban rule applicable exclusively for Delhi and national capital region (NCR) observing that citizens across the country are entitled to a pollution-free environment and any ban should be part of a policy applicable throughout the country.

The observations were made by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai while hearing a batch of applications filed by firecracker manufacturers who objected to the year-long ban applicable to the sale and manufacture of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.

Issuing notice on the applications, the bench, also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran, said, "If citizens in NCR are entitled to pollution-free ...