Chennai, Dec 24 (PTI) The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police to constitute trained special squads in each districts and cities across the state under the leadership of the respective Superintendents /Commissioners for conducting inspections in social clubs, associations, spas, recreation clubs and massage centres and initiate appropriate action in the event of commission of any illegality.

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The action so initiated shall be communicated to the competent jurisdictional authorities under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act along with the details of allegations and action taken to enable those authorities to initiate further action under the provisions of the Act and Rules or under the relevant provisions of law if the registration of the associations and clubs are done under different statutes, Justice S M Subramaniam said.

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The DGP shall issue all necessary instructions/guidelines to the subordinate police authorities to develop an effective coordination with the Registration department and other connected government departments to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the statutes for prosecuting the offenders dealing with the illegalities simultaneously under various relevant statutes, the judge added.

The judge issued the directions while dismissing a writ petition filed in 2012 by the Kancheepuram Reading Room and Tennis Club, by its Secretary K Karunakaran on Thursday.

The petition sought to restrain the local police from harassing the petitioner-club and its members by insisting the club to obtain FL2 License from the state government for permitting its members to consume liquor brought from outside (purchased from government approved TASMAC liquor shops) within the club premises.

Dismissing it, the judge observed that the petitioner's senior counsel made an attempt to justify the action of the club members regarding consumption of liquor inside its premises by purchasing the liquor bottles from the government approved TASMAC shops.

Such a conduct would violate the bye-laws of the club consequently and the provisions of the Societies Registration Act and the TN Prohibition Act and the relevant Rules for buying, selling, possession and consumption of liquor. "Thus, the law imposes complete prohibition of liquor and the Rules grant permission for the purposes specified in the Rules. Accordingly, buying, selling, possession and consumption of liquor all regulated under the Rules and any violation in this regard is an offence and the persons committing such illegalities are liable to be prosecuted under the relevant Statutes and the Rules in force," the judge said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)