No special treatment for unruly customers claiming political links, says Cyberabad top cop

Cyberabad Police Commissioner M. Ramesh along with Admin DCP T. Annapurna, Kukatpally DCP Riti Raj, Quthbullapur DCP N. Koti Reddy, Serilingampally DCP Ch. Srinivas and SOT DCP Shobhan Kumar during the meeting. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement Cyberabad Police Commissioner M. Ramesh on Monday directed owners of hotels, bars, restaurants, pubs and hookah centres to strictly comply with licensing and operating norms, warning that legal action would be taken against establishments found violating the rules.At a review meeting with business owners and officials at the Cyberabad police commissioner’s office auditorium, Commissioner Ramesh said establishments must possess all required permits and licences, including clearances from the Fire Department, CMC, Chief Medical and Health Officer and Town Planning Department. Licences issued through the CPPMS portal should also be renewed on time, he said.The Commissioner said the number of officially licensed establishments within the Cyberabad commissionerate appeared low despite a large number of hotels, restaurants, pubs and similar businesses operating in the area. He said instances of establishments functioning without proper licences had come to the police’s notice and warned that legal action would follow.Business owners raised concerns over different departments having varying timelines for licences and permits. Mr Ramesh directed officials to coordinate with the concerned departments to address the issues while ensuring compliance with regulations.He made it clear that pubs, bars and similar establishments must close at the permitted time and that no activities, including sale of alcohol, would be allowed after closing hours. Minors must not be permitted into bars and restaurants, he said.The Commissioner also directed managements to ensure that staff had valid Aadhaar verification, identification documents and proof of age, and warned against employing minors.The officer also told business owners to monitor customer behaviour and said no special treatment would be given to people claiming to be relatives of politicians or other prominent persons if they violated rules or behaved rudely with staff. The law would apply equally to everyone, he said.He also asked establishments to prevent altercations and clashes between groups in bars and pubs, noting that such incidents could lead to law-and-order problems and inconvenience to the public. Owners were asked to cooperate with police in curbing the use and sale of narcotics and other banned substances.On hookah centres, the Commissioner said such establishments could not operate in view of the ban on hookah activities in Telangana. He warned that violations of COTPA provisions could attract strict action, including penalties of up to seven years’ imprisonment and fines of up to ₹2 lakh.Mr Ramesh said the Cyberabad police did not intend to hinder businesses operating legally, but would take strict action against establishments that violated laws and regulations. Published - September 07, 2026 11:32 pm IST