Police commissioner Bidari’s dress code for Bangalore bar girls on course despite objections

More than 50 objections have been filed to the draft guidelines for bars employing women in the city.

The draft guidelines, issued on July 27 this year, included a dress code for women employed in bars. The objections were filed by bar owners.

City police commissioner Shankar M Bidari said all objections would be given due consideration before finalising the guidelines.
The deadline for filing objections to the guidelines had ended on August 28.

The objections would be considered by the licencing authority, the police. If any of the objections was rejected, the bar owners would be bound to adhere to the final guidelines, Bidari said.

The guidelines would come into force after a gazette notification.
The police had given the bar owners the option to suggest a decent dress code for women working in bars. The option was given after the police’s suggestion of saree as the uniform was widely criticised.

The draft guidelines, set guidelines under the Karnataka Police Act (1963) and the Karnataka Excise Act (1965), had also formulated  certain rules for the music to be played in bars.

Bidari’s move to set guidelines for bars was earlier opposed by the state excise minister, MP Renukacharya, who asked the police to “stay away from affairs inside bars.”

“Bidari has no powers to issue guidelines to be followed by bars and pubs in the city,” the excise minister had said.