Delhi eatery which denied entry to a saree-clad woman is shut

A restaurant in New Delhi which denied entry to a saree-clad woman has been closed after civic authorities served a notice for operating without trade licence.

Anita Choudhary recently took to social media after she was refused entry to the restaurant because she was clad in a saree. Expectedly, the video went viral and the incident became a national talking point.

 

Saree is not allowed in Aquila restaurant as Indian Saree is now not an smart outfit.What is the concrete definition of Smart outfit plz tell me @AmitShah @HardeepSPuri @CPDelhi @NCWIndia
Please define smart outfit so I will stop wearing saree @PMishra_Journo #lovesaree pic.twitter.com/c9nsXNJOAO

— anita choudhary (@anitachoudhary) September 20, 2021

Stung by the backlash, the restaurant later issued a statement that “they welcome guests in all dress codes from modern to traditional”.

The statement also read, “To tackle the situation and request the guest to leave, one of our gate managers made a statement on sarees not being a part of our smart casual dress code; our whole team apologises for the same.”

Incidentally, the eatery, named Aquila, first blamed “the woman for creating a ruckus”.

The issue was raised at the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) meeting on Wednesday by a councillor, who wanted the restaurant to be fined to pay Rs 5 lakh “for denying entry to a person wearing traditional attire”.

The restaurant is located at Ansal Plaza in Andrews Ganj. The notice was issued to the restaurant on September 24 for operating without a licence.

According to the notice, the area public inspector found on September 21 that the facility operated without a licence, encroached on public land, and operating under unhygienic conditions. Interestingly, the notice does not say anything about the controversial incident.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also urged the Delhi Police to probe the incident.