High Court sets aside order to seal Pals Restaurant

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has set aside the order of a single judge to seal Pals Restaurant, which had hosted a cabaret dance in Anna Salai.

Hearing an appeal from Ramasamy, the first division bench of acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice R Bharatha Chakravarthy directed the appellant to make a fresh application for renewal of the Public Resort License of the ‘Pals Restaurant’ within a week.

He also directed the Police Commissioner to consider the same and pass orders in accordance with the law by taking to account the orders passed by the court within 2 weeks. Pointing out the previous order by a single judge, the bench said that though the court had refused to renew the license based on the case filed against the restaurant, the license cannot be refused.

S Ramasamy has been hosting cabaret dance at the Pals Restaurant on Anna Salai. He was using the ‘Public Resort License’, issued by the Commissioner, Greater Chennai Police since 1980, to run the place. But the Police Commissioner rejected the renewal application in June, 2021.

Ramasamy moved the court seeking to direct the Commissioner to issue renewal of the license. Hearing the plea, the single judge passed an order to seal the restaurant and cancel the license that was issued.

Therefore, the appellant moved the HC seeking to quash the judge’s order.