Bengaluru: On June 1, Cubbon Park Police commenced suo motu action against Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune pub for not having a provision for a separate smoking area in violation of the tobacco control laws.
The site is the One8 Commune, off Kasturba Road near M.G. Road, and the violation is under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). Following a tip-off, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Ashwini G. carried out a surprise check on the premises based on information that there was no demarcated cigarette zone as per the law.
The police booked the manager and staff of the pub under COTPA Sections 4 and 21. They have to provide a dedicated smoking area as per law in hotels and restaurants. The inspection was part of a metropolitan police campaign to crack down on public smoking.
The accusations are the most recent legal problem for One8 Commune. In July 2024, the pub was in the news again when it was booked under an FIR for being open after the 1 am deadline and playing music at high volume. In December 2024, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) served a notice for fire safety violations, as the building did not have a fire department No Objection Certificate (NOC).
The police action comes at a time when the state has tightened its grip on tobacco use, having clamped down on hookah bars and raised the age of sale of tobacco products to 21 under the 2024 COTPA Amendment Act.
We are also insisting on rigorous implementation of public health norms.” Proffered places like One8 Commune need to abide by the COTPA rules.
Its management, despite repeated notices, has not yet come up with the response they would like to share with the media. The pub, located on the sixth floor of Ratnams Complex near Chinnaswamy Stadium, remains a popular nightspot but now raises uneasy questions.
One8 Commune’s indiscretions raise pressing issues in Bengaluru’s nocturnal economy, especially regarding compliance with public health and safety measures and the potential repercussions for the upmarket establishment.
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