Kerala High Court allows Kochi hotel to stay open till 3 a.m. for DJ parties

The Kerala High Court has permitted the Radisson Blu hotel in Kochi to keep operating and hosting DJ parties until 3 a.m. Justice Murali Purushothaman cancelled a police notice that tried to stop the hotel from staying open and holding music events after 11 p.m. The hotel's licensee, K. Mahadevan, filed a challenge against the police order. He argued that the hotel had earned the right to stay open later by meeting all rules and paying extra licence fees. The State government opposed the move, telling the court that late-night parties till 3 a.m. would disturb public peace and could become spots for drug deals. However, the court ruled that the police lack the power to cut short a hotel's working hours unless the State government brings in official rules to do so. The judge noted that the mere fear of crime does not give authorities the power under the Kerala Police Act to limit the late hours of an FL3 hotel that holds proper permits under the Foreign Liquor Amendment Rules.

Context

Hotels and restaurants with specific state licences often pay extra fees to serve guests later into the night. Courts in India frequently examine the legal limits of police powers when local authorities try to restrict business operations without clear state-level policy changes.