The Karnataka High Court pulled up Bengaluru police over their 'casual approach' to inspecting pubs in the Indiranagar area for noise levels.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad made the observation after a status report submitted by the police found that police officials had taken officers of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to check noise levels in the evening or early at night even though the complaints of residents suggested noise pollution at or past midnight. The KSPCB in its report stated that it had not found cases of noise pollution.
"We are making it very clear that we will never tolerate such mischief with the court. If this casual approach continues, we will have to take the extreme step of summoning the police commissioner," the court observed as per The New Indian Express.
The court was hearing a PIL by various residents, welfare groups of Indiranagar on the illegalities in the operation of pubs in Indiranagar. The counsel appearing for the police claimed that the police had conducted checks on noise levels even at midnight but he could not provide documentation for the same.
According to Deccan Herald, the court has now directed police officials to conduct surprise visits to bars in Indiranagar and submit an affidavit by a senior police official in a sealed envelope with details of the visit. It also asked the police to furnish details of the meters, equipment being used to check noise levels.
The legality of pubs operating on rooftops in Indiranagar with temporary structures will also be inspected by the police.