Jodhpur police arrest restaurant operator and fine 21 customers in hookah-bar raid under COTPA
Police raided a restaurant-bar on Civil Airport Road, Jodhpur, and arrested the operator for allegedly running an illegal hookah bar. The High Court has recorded that police may act against hookah outlets that sell or use substances prohibited under COTPA. Police also fined 21 people found smoking hookah and seized hookahs, pipes and flavour boxes.
This page records what the cited court records say happened. Findings belong to the court or authority that made them; this register adds none of its own. Names of private individuals are withheld unless a naming gate clears them.
How we verify →The operator was arrested and the customers were fined on the spot; no bail order, charge sheet or conviction has been confirmed.
What happened
The High Court recorded that as long as hookah outlets comply with COTPA no action can be taken against them, but if prohibited substances are sold or used then action can be taken, with Sub-Inspector-rank officers empowered to act.
Police said that, acting on a tip-off, a large team raided a restaurant-bar on Civil Airport Road (Pabupura, Ratanada area) late on Thursday night and found many people smoking hookah.
Police said the restaurant operator was arrested for allegedly running the hookah bar illegally, action was taken against 21 people under the COTPA law, and Rs 4,200 was collected as fine.
Police said they seized 17 hookah pots, 18 rubber pipes, 32 clay chillums (full and empty, tobacco-flavoured), 14 steel plates, 22 flavour boxes (open and sealed), one iron tong and 84 filter pipes from the spot.
What the record says
“As long as the petitioners comply with the provisions of COTPA and do not serve any prohibited substances in the hookah parlour then no action can be taken against them. However, it is made clear that if it is found that the petitioners are selling/using any substances prohibited under the COTPA then surely an action can be taken against them.”
Skygreen Cafe vs State of Rajasthan (2024:RJ-JD:24633), para 1 (quoting order dated 17.07.2023) — read the full text
No complaining victim
Serving and smoking flavoured tobacco in a hookah bar harms no third party and involves consenting adults; the state punished it with arrest, fines and seizure under tobacco law.
What we could not confirm
No standalone police press release or FIR number for this raid was located; raid facts rest on two news reports quoting the station house officer. Exact COTPA sections applied to each person were not printed. Conviction or further proceedings could not be confirmed.