Bengaluru: Liquor ban lifted; pubs, bars to reopen at 6 pm

Bengaluru, July 24: Planning to have drink tonight in Bengaluru? Well you can go ahead with that. The Bengaluru Police on Wednesday clarified that section 144 imposed on Tuesday is "still in place and is not revoked." The police, however, confirmed that the ban on the sale of liquor has been withdrawn and pubs, bars and liquor shops can resume operating from 6 pm on Wednesday.

Aimed at maintaining law and order in Bengaluru and preventing any untoward incidents that could disrupt the prevailing situation, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Alok Kumar had invoked Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and issued prohibitory orders for 48 hours, which runs from 6:00 pm on 23 July to 25 July evening.

The orders restrain people from forming a group of five or more, carrying out processions or public meetings, carrying weapons or exhibiting posters against any person or party.

Meanwhile, it had also ordered all pubs & wine shops in the city to be closed till 25th July. However, it was revoked earlier today.

Section 144 was imposed in Bengaluru on Tuesday for the next 48 hours following clashes between Congress and BJP workers ahead of the floor test.

After losing the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy tendered his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala. The HD Kumaraswamy led Congress-JD(S) government failed to survive trust vote in the Karnataka Assembly, getting only 99 votes while the BJP got 105 member votes. The trust vote was necessitated after 15 MLAs resigned, plunging the government to a minority.