New Delhi: The Supreme Court today partly allowed a plea from the Tamilnadu government to modify an earlier order setting an 8-10 pm deadline for bursting crackers during Deepavali.

The court allowed the State government to set its own time period but said it cannot be more than two hours in a day.

The Tamilnadu government had prayed that apart from the already permitted 8 pm to 10 pm window, residents in the State be allowed to burst crackers between 4.30 am and 6.30 am.

In response, the court said the State government, if it so desired, could break up the two-hour time period into one hour in the morning and one in the evening. The decision on how to divide the two-hour window was left to the State government.

“If we are not permitting south Indians staying in Delhi to burst crackers in the morning then the same should also apply to north Indians living down south,” the top court said

Following the apex court’s time limit on bursting crackers, the Tamilnadu government Monday approached the court, asking it to extend the permitted time for bursting of firecrackers.

On 23 October, the Supreme Court ruled that people could burst firecrackers during the festival between 8 pm and 10 pm.

The top court had allowed use of only green firecrackers with reduced emission and decibel levels during all religious festivals. Last year, it had banned sale of firecrackers in the capital city.

Earlier this month, the court allowed low-emission firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm this Deepavali while ruling out a blanket ban on fireworks.

It also stipulated a 35-minute window for New Year celebrations setting a time between 11.55 pm and 12.30 am for bursting crackers.