Bar owner fined for seeking cancellation of approval for school

The High Court on Tuesday slapped Rs 25,000 fine on a bar owner for seeking cancellation of permission given to a school.

Justice Vineeth Kothari heard the writ petition filed by N M Thirthegowda, owner of Sridevi Bar and Restaurant at Devarachikkanahalli in Begur and imposed the fine.

The justice termed the petition as awkward and strange. He also expressed disappointment over the petition.

The deputy excise commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District had slapped a notice on Thirthegowda stating that the bar was located in violation of norm 5 of Karnataka State Excise Permission (General Conditions). The deputy excise commissioner had given 60 days time to relocate the bar.

The advocate for the petitioner G K Bhat told the court the petitioner was told that the bar was located within a radius of 100 metres of the school zone. In reality, BEO, Bengaluru South Zone-3 had given permission to Seethamma Manjappa Trust to run a primary school. The school was housed in a building on a CA site illegally allotted by Bangalore Development Authority.

He said that functioning of a school would create problems to students and local residents. He sought immediate cancellation of the permission given to the school as it had been housed in an illegally alloted site besides seeking a stay on the notice by deputy excise commissioner.