The Madras High Court has directed the Chennai city police to register a case if any cognisable offence was made out in a complaint lodged by a lawyer against a city hotel for allegedly running night clubs beyond the permitted time of 12 am, besides permitting boys and girls below 18 years of age to enter the clubs and access liquor as well as cigarettes till 5 am.
Justice M.S. Ramesh passed the order on March 21 on a petition filed by advocate R. Hemnath, 29, of Saligramam.
The petitioner, a regular visitor to night clubs in the city, said he was shocked to notice that a particular hotel was allowing adolescent boys and girls to access its night clubs without insisting on age proof at the entrance.
“The petitioner submits that when he questioned the illegal activities of the hotel management, the manager, Kiran, and its bouncer, Velmurugan, and two others turned violent against him and they threw him out of the hotel and threatened to kill him if he came to the hotel,” his petition read.
He said he lodged a complaint against the hotel on March 1, but the Teynampet police failed to register a First Information Report.
