HYDERABAD: In a blatant violation of the Supreme Court order, denizens continued to burst firecrackers beyond stipulated time in the city; police registered as many as 71 cases in Hyderabad on Deepavali night. However, no cases were registered in Rachakonda and Cyberabad police limits.
“We had formed teams to implement the SC order and our patrol teams, blue colts teams were on the ground. We have registered cases against those who were found violating the orders. We have invoked the City Police Act against them,” said City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar.
The cases are registered under section 22/77 of Hyderabad City Police Act, for causing the nuisance. They will be produced before the court in due course of time. However, he said that all the violators are not identified and police are in the process of doing so. The purpose of registering cases, he said, was that in future this will work as a deterrent.
Earlier, following the SC order, the police commissioners of three commissioners had issued notices restricting usage of firecrackers to two hours between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
On the intervening night of November 6 and 7, hundreds of people were found bursting crackers on the streets violating the Supreme Court directions, and the notice issued by city police. While Hyderabad police has invoked the City Police Act, Tamil Nadu, for instance, registered as many as 1,500 cases under section 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of Indian Penal Code, the punishment for which may go up to simple imprisonment for a month or fine.
Trader held for selling crackers without licence
A trader, N Venkatesh, was booked for allegedly selling crackers in his kirana store in Malkajgiri without proper licence, after a fire broke out in his shop. Fire tenders from Nacharam fire station reached the spot and put out the fire.
Celebrations kill five animals in city
Five animals - three dogs, a cat, and a pigeon - died during the last two days of Deepavali while a total of 47 animals were rescued by activists. However, cases of animal cruelty were not reported.