September 18, 2026 12:25 am (IST)
TN Assembly passes Bill against dress code
Chennai, Aug 12 (IBNS): After a row last month over a cricket club in Chennai restricting entry of a judge in dhoti, the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday finally passed a Bill which makes enforcing any dress code and banning entry of persons wearing 'dhoti' in public places a cognisable offence.
Those violating the law can face a one-year imprisonment and fine of Rs 25,000.
The Bill was passed unanimously by the Assembly.
The House adopted the Tamil Nadu Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction on Dress) Act 2014 after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa introduced the Bill earlier.
It empowers the government to cancel the licences of such clubs, recreation associations, trusts and company or society denying entry to any person wearing a 'vesthi' (dhoti), traditional attire of men in the state.
This comes after a Madras High Court Judge and two lawyers were reportedly refused entry in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Club for wearing dhotis last month.
The CM said in state Assembly that the action of the club was against the Tamil culture and called the incident occurring 67 years after independence as unfortunate.
Members of the Madras High Court Bar Association also joined the protest against the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Club (TNCA)'s move to deny entry to a Justice D Hariparanthaman for wearing a dhoti.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi had said the government should intervene to remove any kind of dress code in public functions.
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