India, Oct. 27 -- After years of slow but persistent progress toward cleaner celebrations, Delhi has fallen back into its old habits. The lifting of the cracker ban this Diwali marked the collapse of reason. The decision to allow so-called "green firecrackers" was pushed by the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government, who, by the way, were most outspokenly critical of fireworks when others were in power. The bigger shame is that it was endorsed by a compliant judiciary. Ergo, years of effort to make the air breathable again have been undone.

For years, public campaigns, court orders, and even religious appeals had led to some decline in firecracker use. Citizens began to comprehend the link between fireworks and the air their children breathe. Bu...