Women employed in bars and restaurants in Bangalore to serve liquor and food will soon have a dress code to ensure their safety and security, an official said late on Wednesday.
"We have submitted to the Karnataka High Court a set of guidelines to be strictly followed by owners of bars and restaurants employing women to serve their customers," a state home department official said.
The guidelines were issued on the directive of the high court in response to a petition by the Bangalore Ladies' Working Bar and Restaurants Owners' Association, which accused the police of shutting down bars and restaurants employing women on grounds of indecency and causing public nuisance.
According to the guidelines, the women employed by licensed bars and restaurants should be 21 years and above, wear full trousers and full shirt or T shirt with or without a blazer or a salwar kameez (a Punjabi suite) to prevent any indecent display of their body.
"The high court has directed the city police to allow licensed bars and restaurants to hire women bartenders in accordance with the guidelines and see how they conduct over the next three months," the official said.
Association counsel R. Goplakrishna said the owners would study the notification and find out how best they can comply with it as they would have to bear an additional expenditure to also meet other requirements.
"The guidelines will add to the operational cost of running a bar and restaurant, as owners have not only to pay salary to the women bartenders, but also provide a decent dress and arrange for their transport from home and back to ensure their safety and security," Gopalakrishna told.