HYDERABAD: After two months of closure following a crackdown on hookah parlours, parlour owners in the city now heave a sigh of relief with the Telangana High Court passing a judgment that the police department cannot cause inconvenience to customers. In “The guise of implementing the regulation, the police shall not resort to causing inconvenience or any harassment to the customers present there or to the owners of the restaurant,” the court order said.
Hookah parlour owners, who have been claiming of being made soft targets by the police in their attempt to curb drug abuse among teenagers, on multiple occasions were banned from conducting their business.
“This is the second time that we have got a High Court order in our favour to run businesses as usual. But the commissioner of police is holding personal grudges against us because of a contempt of court we filed on him a year ago,” alleged Md Iliyaz, owner, Urban Grill Lounge.The order stated that “if any of the police officials are found to act in high-handed manner, the shop owners are always at liberty to bring the same to the notice of the Director General of Police/Commissioner of Police.”
“Though I have resumed my business four days ago, I am afraid that the police will shut down my lounge again,” said Habeeb Ahmed, owner of Chill on Hill Lounge. However, the court observed that the police was not wrong in inspecting the premises. “I do not find any illegality in police officers, not below the rank of sub-inspector of police entering the premises..., so as to find out whether the owners of the restaurants have floated or violated any of the provisions of the Act and Rules,” the order read. “There is nothing to interfere when the High Court itself has passed the judgment but we want to make it clear that there was no force used to shut down or seal hookah parlours,” said A Gangaram, inspector, Abids police station.
2 arrested, 16.36 kg ganja seized
Two persons were arrested and 16.36 kg of dry ganja was seized by state prohibition and excise department’s Dhoolpet wing. Assistant excise superintendent (Enforcement) N Anji Reddy said, a home in Upper Dhoolpet was raided and they arrested Surender(36) and Anitha Bai (43).