Chennai: Chennai city police have issued a warning to people saying that if the time limit of 2 hours is exceeded while bursting firecrackers, the person involved would have to face six-months imprisonment.

Circulars have been issued to various police stations in the city to ensure people stick to the time limit fixed by the Supreme Court. Each of these police stations has been issued orders to patrol to ensure that there is no violation of the verdict on firecrackers.

If anybody disrupts the court's verdict, the person will face six-months imprisonment or a fine of Rs 1000 or both under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It has been decided first to warn those who violate the time limit and take action if they continue despite the warning.

The Supreme Court earlier had fixed a time slot of 2 hours for bursting firecrackers during Diwali. Though the time was set from 8 PM to 10 PM. On October 30, the Supreme Court made an exception to its order on the timing of bursting firecrackers for the state of Tamil Nadu. The state government had approached the apex court on Monday for permission to burst crackers between 4:30 AM and 6:30 AM during Diwali as the festival has traditionally always been celebrated in the daytime in that state.

Responding positively to the petition, the highest court modified its order restricting the use of firecrackers between 8 PM and 10 PM during Diwali, considering the tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu.

The modified Supreme Court order has a broader application. While delivering the revised judgment, the apex court allowed all state governments to determine the two hours of the day of Diwali for bursting crackers in accordance with the respective local cultures.