The Chennai hookah ban has come under scrutiny after the Madras High Court sought responses from senior police and excise officials on a public interest litigation alleging that some pubs and cafes in the city are offering hookah services in violation of the law.
A First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan issued notices to the Director General of Police and Head of Police Force, the Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, and the individual pubs and cafes named in the petition. The notices are returnable by November 19, 2026.
The petition was filed by B. Mughundhan, a 27-year-old advocate, who claimed that he had personally witnessed hookah services being offered at the establishments. The allegations have not been established by the court, and the notices seek responses from the authorities and the establishments concerned.
According to the petition, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2022 prohibits the serving of hookah in bars, pubs, cafes and similar establishments. The petitioner referred to Section 21A of the law, which he said provides for a maximum punishment of three years’ imprisonment for running a hookah bar.
The petitioner also alleged that several establishments were promoting hookah services on social media and submitted screenshots in support of the plea. He claimed that some cafes used concealed enclosures, removed menu cards after orders were placed and restricted access to regular or apparently trusted customers.
One coffee shop in a residential area in Alwarpet was alleged to provide hookah services in a separate enclosure and conceal its equipment using CCTV surveillance when suspicious visitors were noticed. A cafe in Teynampet was alleged to offer a menu of hookah flavours before removing the menu after an order was placed.
The petition also referred to a cafe on Royapettah High Road in Mylapore, which allegedly presented itself as a vegetarian lounge or restaurant but offered hookah services along with aerated drinks and bottled water. Similar allegations were made against a cafe in Thousand Lights and a rooftop restaurant on Kodambakkam High Road in Nungambakkam.
The petitioner alleged that such activity could not continue in central parts of the city without the connivance of officials. That claim will require examination by the authorities and the court. The plea has asked the police to take action against pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes offering hookah services.
The case places enforcement responsibility across multiple agencies. The police are responsible for investigating alleged violations and taking criminal action where warranted, while the Prohibition and Excise department has been named because of its regulatory role. The court’s notices require the respondents to place their responses before the Bench by the next hearing date.
The proceedings will determine how the authorities respond to the specific establishments named in the petition and whether any enforcement action is reported before the matter returns to court on November 19, 2026.
