BackTamil Nadu introduces Dhoti Bill
Officials of establishments in Tamil Nadu, which deny access to persons turning up in traditional clothes, may have to spend a year in prison or pay a fine of `25,000
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Chennai: Officials of establishments in Tamil Nadu, which deny access to persons turning up in traditional clothes, may have to spend a year in prison or pay a fine of ₹ 25,000, according to the provisions of a Bill introduced in the state Assembly on Wednesday. The establishment also stands to lose its licence.
Introduced by chief minister J.Jayalalithaa, The Tamil Nadu Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction of Dress) Bill 2014 follows public outrage after a retired judge dressed in a dhoti was turned away by a cricket club in Chennai.
On 16 July, the Tamil Nadu government had warned it would cancel licences of clubs if their activities were found to be against Tamil culture.
The proposed law covers “any recreation club, association, trust, company or society", which brings private companies too under its purview.
The government will have the choice of formulating specific rules for enforcement of the provisions of the proposed legislation. It also reserved for two years the right to pass orders to avoid any difficulties in its implementation.
On 11 July, retired judge D. Hariparanthaman, who was invited to a book release function at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Club at Chepauk in Chennai, was denied entry because he was wearing a dhoti. Jayalalithaa termed the dhoti ban “sartorial despotism" and a mockery of Tamil culture and said the government would enact a new law in the current session to curb such practices.
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