BENGALURU: In the past two days, 27 pubs, lounges and other establishments that support live bands or play recorded music in the city have been asked to shut down by the police. The crackdown comes as the owners did not apply for a license or submitted incomplete applications to the police. The shutdown is in accordance with Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order, 2005. The order was challenged and was heard by Supreme Court which upheld the order in
January. Following this, police had asked for applications to be submitted for permission to play music. “Some of the establishments which we have issued shut down notices to did not submit applications for license; others did not give complete applications. They are free to operate without the live bands or music,” City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar told The New Indian Express.
“We will continue the process of closing down places which do not comply,” he said. The license by the city police will be separate from those issued for operations by the civic agencies. For establishments which employ female staff serving alcohol, a separate license will have to be acquired from the city police, Kumar said.