Bengaluru: Does an establishment attract more trouble if associated with a star?
Virat Kohli-owned pub and restaurant One8 Commune in Bengaluru has landed in legal trouble once again, this time for not having a designated smoking zone.
In the past, the establishment had got into trouble twice. Once for staying open till late, and again for not obtaining a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department.
On Saturday, the Cubbon Park Police registered a suo motu case against the pub-cum-restaurant for violating provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). It was booked under COTPA’s Sections 4 and 21 for not having a designated smoking zone.
Section 4 of COTPA bans smoking in public places. It, however, allows hotels, restaurants (with space for at least 20 guests) and airports to have designated smoking zones.
The case was registered as part of a special drive by the Bengaluru City Police to enforce public smoking norms, an official said.
On Friday, the Karnataka government put a complete ban on hookah bars and increased the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. The state government’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Act, 2024, recently received the President’s assent.
In June last year, One8 Commune got into trouble for operating beyond the stipulated time. Again in December, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a notice to the establishment based on a complaint alleging fire safety violations and lack of a clearance certificate from the fire department.
