Does Free Entry at Clubs Open Doors To Prostitution?

Most nightclubs usually assign nights, typically through the week when footfalls are few in order to attract women patrons. Vittal Shetty, manager at Firangi Paani said "Mondays and Wednesday are Ladies Nights. On these two days, any woman walking into the restaurant between 6pm and 9.30pm will get up to four complimentary drinks; wine and white spirits are what we serve. In terms of turnout, Mondays are not too special but on Wednesdays both our branches receive as many as 150 to 200 women."  

Media professional Simran Sathe says "My friends and I go to Firangi Paani all the time for the free drinks. Surely the police need to look into more details before they accuse women of prostitution. Free entry and drinks are preposterous criteria," reported TOI.

India's well-known bartender Shatbhi Basu said, "We are constantly struggling against obsolete laws. In Maharashtra, for instance, women can't work in bars post 9.30pm. I didn't know of this law for the longest time and continued to work past 'deadline'. Under current circumstances, Dhoble could well turn up at a bar and charge a woman bartender working beyond the official deadline with prostitution."

The Bombay high court, in 2011, dismissed several petitions filed by the city's bar and restaurant owners, challenging the 9.30pm deadline for waitresses and women bartenders.

"It's a vicious cycle: the laws are obsolete, so everyone's comfortable bribing and breaking them. The law is only making it possible for power-crazy and moralists like Dhoble to function with ease. We're going backwards," added Basu.