India, Aug. 4 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 4, told the Tamil Nadu government that fishermen may be allowed to go for purse seine fishing beyond the state's territorial waters but any such activity should be within the exclusive economic zone with due permission.

A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said that if the fishermen doing purse seine fishing - a method that uses a vertical net attached to a vessel to encircle schools of fish in open water - violates the norms of the state within its territorial waters, they can be arrested.

"We will not allow violation of norms of the state or the Centre but at the same time, state should not stop them from going beyond its territorial jurisdiction of 12 nautical miles in...