Hotel faces 145;morality146; ban

After banning jeans for girls in Anna University and demanding a public apology from actor Khushboo on her views on pre-marital sex, moral p...

After banning jeans for girls in Anna University and demanding a public apology from actor Khushboo on her views on pre-marital sex, moral policing scoped another target on Sunday. Two of Chennai8217;s Park Hotel staff were arrested after two Tamil eveningers published photographs of girls partying in the hotel. The Chennai Police Commissioner withdrew the hotel8217;s bar licence. The charges included violating licence norms and 8216;8216;obscene acts8217;8217;.

First a Tamil eveninger questioned the 8216;8216;morality8217;8217; of the 8216;8216;elite8217;8217; city girls, couple of whom were shown locked in the arms of their partners in its Sunday edition. Next day, another leading Tamil Daily followed suit, publishing same pictures, raising more 8216;8216;moralistic8217;8217; queries. A day after, the city police swooped down on the hotel, arresting two managers who were on duty on Sunday evening, under Sections 37 of the Tamil Nadu City Police Act violation of licence condition, 294 of IPC obscene acts and songs to the annoyance of others in any public place and Section 24 of the Tamil Nadu prohibition Licence Act. While the two employees were released on bail today, the police had last night issued an order withdrawing the bar licence and the licence granted to the hotel under Section 35 of the Chennai City Police Act.

The hotel today filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking to quash the order of the Commissioner. The court granted the stay with respect of the 210 guests staying at the hotel, saying they should be allowed to stay until October 1. The court posted the case for further hearing for the same day. City Police Commissioner, R Nataraj said: 8216;8216;For any congregation, a hotel should have a 8216;public resort licence.8217; Park Hotel did not have such a licence and it had also not kept to the timings by violating the 11 p.m. limit. And, according to conditions, the hotel has to serve liquor only in one place the bar, but it has done so in several places inside the hotel. All these are violations.8217;8217;

8216;8216;We have a duty to enforce the rules. I will be failing in my duty if I don8217;t do it.8217;8217; But, there is no denying the fact that the photographs of the frolicking party goers in the hotel in the two Tamil newspapers had triggered the police action. Said Ms. Sumitha Menon, associate director, public relations of the Park Hotels: 8216;8216;The photographers trespassed the hotel and took pictures. We cannot invade the privacy of a customer. I cannot tell a husband or wife that they should not hold hands or kiss. And the same goes for girls and their boyfriends. If they go beyond levels of decency, we are there to show them out.8217;8217;

Menon insisted that the hotel had adhered to the 11 p.m. ban and no minors had been allowed to the party. 8216;8216;The arrest of the hotel staff was unwarranted,8217;8217; pointed out leading city lawyer, K Chandru.