Hookah bar on Bannerghatta Road raided and fined Rs 2 lakh for operating illegally!

Brews N Bites, a hookah bar on Bannerghatta Road opposite Meenakshi mall, was raided by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Thursday.

BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar tweeted that the hookah bar was raided for serving hookahs to underage patrons. “Materials and other hookah accessories were seized and a penalty of Rs 2 lakh was imposed,” he posted.

Previously, the city police were shutting down several hookah bars in the city for operating illegally. However, in December last year, the Karnataka High Court asked the cops not to harass hookah bars in the guise of inspections if the hookahs are being served in specially-designated smoking areas. This case only upheld a 2017 case of a similar nature in the high court where smoking of hookah is permitted in a smoking zone if it only contains tobacco, and not any other banned substances.