41A. [ Power to prohibit drill or training by five or more persons, etc. [Inserted by Madras City Police and Tamil Nadu District Police (Amendment) Act, 1984 (Tamil Nadu Act 19 of 1984) with effect from the 16th December 1983.]
(1)(a)The Commissioner may, whenever he considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of the public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order, by order in writing, prohibit the holding of, or taking part in, any drill with arms or training with arms by five or more persons in any place, whether public or private, or the carrying of arms in any procession.(b)The Commissioner may, whenever he considers it necessary so to do for the preservation of the public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order, by order in writing, prohibit -(i)the use of gestures or mimetic representations or playing of tapes or gramophone records or other instruments in which speeches or songs are recorded, or(ii)the preparation, exhibition or dissemination of pictures, symbols, play cards, signs, visible representations or any other object or thing, which may, in the opinion of the Commissioner, offend against decency or morality, or promote on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony, feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities.(2)No prohibition under this section shall remain in force for more than three months:Provided that if the State Government consider it necessary so to do for the preservation of the public peace or public safety or for the maintenance of public order, they may, by notification, direct that the order issued under subsection (1) shall remain in force for such further period not exceeding six months from the date on which such order would have, but for such notification, expired, as they may specify in the said notification.(3)Whoever contravenes any prohibition made under this section shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months and with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees.(4)Nothing contained in clause (a) of sub-section (1) shall apply to -(i)the holding of, or taking part in, any drill with arms or training with arms held by the, -(a)members of Home Guards;(b)members of Bharat Scouts and Guides in their capacity as such members;(c)Police personnel;(d)Fire Service personnel;(e)Jail Service personnel;(f)members of the Armed Forces of the Union including the National Cadet Corps; or(ii)the doing of any physical exercise other than drill with arms or training with arms.(5)Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, if the State Government are satisfied that it is necessary or expedient in the public interest so to do, they may, by notification, exempt, subject to such conditions as they deem fit, any person or class of persons from the provisions of clause (a) of sub-section (1) of this section.Explanation. - For the purposes of this section "arms" means any type of offensive weapon and includes lathi and stick.]
