Act fair, take action against errant hotels: Bombay HC to police

All hotels that do not have partitions between its restaurants and permit rooms (bars) will be prosecuted by the police.

The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the police to take action against such hotels. “We don’t want any discrimination among two hotels. The law has to be equal for all,” the court said.
The division bench of Justice PB Majmudar and Justice RM Savant also directed the police to immediately issue show-cause notices to hotels that do not following the rules under the Bombay Police Act and submit a compliance report before the court on November 18.

The directions came during the hearing of a petition filed by Juhu hotel Sea Princess. The hotel was denied permission for a discotheque by the police on the grounds that there was no proper partition between the restaurant and the bar, Triology.

Advocate MP Vashi, who represented the hotel, said: “If other hotels in the area, like JW Marriott has Enigma disco, do not have partitions then why are they imposing such restrictions. Even then I will go to the central excise department and get a change in plan of the floor space area of my discotheque and apply before the police for permission again.”