By IANS,
New Delhi : City restaurants running hookah bars illegally will be raided, police told the Delhi High Court Wednesday.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw was told by standing counsel Najmi Waziri, who appeared for police, that deputy commissioners of police “have been asked to conduct raids in restaurants who are running hookah bars”.
The civic agencies told the court that they had not issued any licences to restaurants to run hookah bars.
The court was hearing a plea filed by NGO World Lung Foundation-South Asia, seeking action against illegal hookah bars.
The court asked civic agencies and the city government to file their response within two days, and posted the matter for Sep 5.
The National Restaurant Association of India also filed an application asking to become as a party in the case. The court allowed the application and asked it to file its reply.
The petitioner NGO has sought the implementation of laws against smoking in public places and the cancellation of civic agencies’ licences issued to restaurants which were running illegal hookah bars.