BANGALORE: The Bangalore police can heave a sigh of relief as the rules they had come up with to monitor live bands were upheld by the High Court of Karnataka on Friday.

Delhi tragedy

The police had framed the rules to avert a tragedy on the lines of Uphaar cinema in Delhi in which scores of people were killed.

In their affidavit before the High Court, the police had said that live bands should have emergency exits so that stampedes could be prevented on the lines of the Uphaar cinema tragedy.

Criminals used live-band joints to plan offences, they had said.

Defending the Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Rules, they said Clauses 8 (2) and 3 dealt with the safety measures to be taken by the live-band joints.

The police said there were specific rules governing such establishments located on the first or higher floors.

The rules stipulated that such establishments should have two staircases in addition to open spaces as provided for in the building by-laws.

The notification regarding the rules were issued on December 9, 2005 under which the authorities had specified certain conditions to be met before live bands were issued licences to operate.

Committee report

The police said a committee had been set up under the chairmanship of a former Commissioner of Police R. Ramalingam to examine and advise the police on the steps to be taken to streamline its administration and curb illegal activities.

The committee had felt that rules could be framed governing the operation of live bands in the State.

Need for regulation

The committee had said there was a need to regulate places of public entertainment to prevent crimes, maintain law and order and minimise the impact such places had on the public.

The order had been passed because there was opposition to the growing number of such establishments.

The matter had been debated in the Legislature.

The order was promulgated and gazetted on May 25, 2005 and subsequently challenged in the High Court. A single judge had quashed the order and asked it to be treated as a draft.

Objections

The police were asked to invite objections to the order from both the public and the live-band joints and dispose of within 30 days the applications for licence by the live bands.

Order challenged

The live bands had challenged this order but a Division Bench upheld it.

The order had been treated as draft rules and objections invited.

It debunked the association's contention that almost all bars and restaurants in Bangalore were running live bands.

It termed as incorrect the claim that no offences were registered in live bands till the order was promulgated. It said scores of offences had been registered from 2000 onwards.

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