Chandigarh joins the 'ban' wagon: Short skirts in discos are now verboten

It is the season of bans and the latest to join the bandwagon is Chandigarh. The administration has decided to ban short skirts in discos, in an effort to “control places of public amusement”. [caption id=“attachment_2739036” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The local administration has quipped that this decision was taken in view of alleged “anti-national” activities taking place in these locations. The new policy of “Controlling of Places of Public Amusement, 2016” also brings with it bad news for bar owners — as they have to shut down shop by midnight now. Earlier, bars were allowed to operate till 2 am. The policy, in effect from 1 April, is already receiving its fair share of criticism from restaurateurs, lawyers and the public. The policy has been criticised on the grounds that it does not clarify on the definition of sedition, indecency or “scantily dressed”. “It’s moral policing. How do you define a scantily dressed woman or being indecent? It is all subjective. What you may find indecent, I may find innocent. The administration should not reject permissions on such parameters at least,” Manish Goyal, a city-based restaurateur told The Times of India. In the report, noted lawyer Anupam Gupta, after studying the draft of the policy, opined that the entire policy was flawed, as it has been notified without any authority of law. City hoteliers and restaurant owners are particularly appalled at the provision of sedition in the policy. “I have been in this business for last 10 years and never heard a single instance related to sedition from any of the city bars or restaurants. I am amazed that the Union Territory could make such a provision in the policy as grounds for shutting down business.”, Vipul Dua, president of Joint Forum of Young Entrepreneurs told The Times of India. The policy was drawn up after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the Union Territory to take cognisance of a number of violent incidents outside discotheques.