SC nod to women bartenders a security headache for police

Striking down a law framed in 1914, SC allows women bartenders to serve liquor in Delhi’s restaurants and reduces the age of bartenders from 25 to 21 years, reports Bhadra Sinha.

Striking down a law framed in 1914, the Supreme Court on Thursday allowed women bartenders to serve liquor in Delhi’s restaurants and reduced the age of bartenders from 25 to 21 years.

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The Delhi Government sought to justify the existing provision’s validity by citing examples of Jessica Lal and the BMW crash cases. The bench replied: “…But only a pre-supposition that there is a possibility of some incidents happening, we cannot declare a law legal which is on the face of it unconstitutional.”

On the argument that women bartenders can lead to security problems, the judges added: “It is state’s duty to ensure circumstances of safety that inspire confidence in women to discharge the duty freely…”

The order has put the Delhi Government and the Delhi Police in a fix. Excise Minister AK Walia refused to comment on the issue. A Delhi Police officer said, “Owners and managers of these places have to ensure safety of their women employees.”