Amend law against Hookah Bars: Gulab Chand Kataria

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria has accepted that police insufficiently acted against illegal Hookah bars which are running without any permission and expressed the need to amend law to take action against ‘Hookah Bars’ in the state. Kataria made the statement replying to an adjournment motion moved by Independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal. 

Kataria said that there was a need to amend law to take action against ‘Hookah Bars’ and efforts would be made to bring them under provisions of laws similar to that of cigarette and bidi.

Kataria said that it was indeed a grave concern that young generation was getting into addiction through ‘Hookah Bars’.

“We tried to curb it while introducing a law in 2003. As per section 4 of ‘The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production) we have inserted prohibited smoking at public places. In the Act, provision of smoking zones was made to allow smoking in hotels, restaurants and airports, but these provisions were being misused to operate ‘Hookah Bars’,” he said.

Beniwal and Congress legislator Pradhyumn Singh expressed concerns over the issue following which the home minister informed the House that 64 cases in Jaipur and 3 in Jodhpur were registered in 2017 as against 14 and 3 in Jaipur and Jodhpur in 2013. Kataria said that cases are registered against illegal ‘Hookah Bars’ under section 144 of CrPc and section 188 of IPC, but offences under these are bailable. After court rulings, such offences cannot be registered under section 144.

Bailable Offence

Cases are registered against illegal ‘Hookah Bars’ under Sec 144 of CrPc & Sec 188 of IPC, but offences under these are bailable. Such offences cannot be registered under Section 144