Chandigarh on backfoot on dress code

A policy that reeks of moral policing has left the Chandigarh administration red-faced. The policy said that women wearing “indecent dresses” would be banned from places of amusement. Facing a lot of flak on social and conventional media for the retrograde policy, the UT administration was quick to defend itself.

The new policy, which came into effect from April 1, has curtailed bar timings till midnight. The policy states that the committee can deny permission for running a bar or discotheque if the operation of business is considered to be “indecent or of scurrilous character”.

Permission can also be denied if the business contains “offensive reference to personalities”, “seditious or likely to excite political discontent”. What kind of seditious activities do the bureaucrats expect in bars and discotheques is what amused people are asking.

Those opposing the “Controlling of Places of Public Amusement, 2016” policy say it smacks of moral policing while threatening to strangulate the city’s nightlife. They say that now it will be babus deciding what dress is “indecent” and whether a place of amusement is of a “scurrilous” character. It is being interpreted that the girls would no longer be able to enjoy drinks at bars and discotheques if they are in minis. The policy fails to define what the administration deems as “indecency” or “scantily-clad women”.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh home secretary Anurag Aggarwal has said that there is no attempt at moral policing and no dress code has been prescribed for anyone. “We do not want to promote inspector raj. If there is interference in business (of places of amusement), we are open to modifying the policy.” He said that women can wear anything as long as it is within the law of this country. Mr Aggarwal said that it is a hypothetical assumption and pointed that all the clauses of the policy are a repetition of existing laws. He said that the policy has been made following directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court.

The policy also states that any exhibition or advertisement whether by way of posters or in the newspapers, photographs of scantily-dressed women would also invite denial of permission. Another clause that paves way for misuse by the members of the nodal committee members is that “the members of the committee shall be given free access to any place of public amusement by way of reservation of two seats in the highest class of accommodation for the purpose of monitoring”.