Follow uniform closing hours for hotels, bars: HC to government
13 Sep 2011
The Bombay High Court yesterday asked the state government to clarify whether it had a policy that prescribed different closing times for ordinary bars and restaurants and those in five-star hotels. The court was hearing a petition to restrain the police from forcing a bar and restaurant to shut at 1:30 am.
At least 14 star-rated hotels have bars and discos that are allowed to stay open till 3:00 am.
"If you have put general hotels on one side and five stars on the other, then say it," said justice R M Savant, part of a division bench with justice P B Majmudar.
The judges said such cases were coming up almost daily and wanted to know along what lines these were to be decided.
"Our orders have to be consistent. Produce a policy decision and guide us," justice Majmudar said.
The bench is hearing a petition by Shaheen Shafique Khan, owner of Food Culture (Kino 108 restobar) at Dhake Colony, Andheri (W), seeking the court's direction to restrain the police from forcing it to shut before 3 am.