Hyderabad: City pubs and restro-bars operating beyond permitted hours prescribed in the Prohibition and Excise policy, will face prosecution. The owner/manager will be booked under sections 26/17 of the City Police Act and 188 (Disobedience to order) of the Indian Penal Code. Those booked in the First Information Report (FIR) will be produced before the local magistrate.
In a first, two pubs — Repeat and Air Sbarro — both located in Jubilee Hills were booked for staying open beyond the stipulated time. Pubs that shut in time but reopen after the police exit will also be taken to task, Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar told Deccan Chronicle. Jubilee Hills road number 36 is a mecca for pubs; there are 28 pubs located on one single road. The first ever FIR was issued against Repeat pub on July 15. The management was caught serving liquor beyond 11.45 pm and playing loud music. Air Sbarro pub was booked on similar grounds.
Mr Kumar told this newspaper, “Pubs have to adhere to the time limit mentioned in the licence, and any violation will attract legal action as per the established procedure of law. Hyderabad Police has a separate vigilance team working exclusively for this purpose zone wise. Police also records evidence by video recording to be produced before the court. Therefore I request all the establishment owners to ensure that their duty managers and managing directors are aware of the legal provisions and the timing as per the licence.”
An identical policy is being followed in Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates. The police is booking cases based on video evidence collected during the raid. However, no spot arrests are made. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat explained, “Cases are booked based on evidence-based policing. The police will file a chargesheet and produce it before the court. If gaming is involved (including gambling), the licence will be cancelled and the establishment shut down under 133 CrPC.”
