Too late to close?
Strap: Case filed against Shilpa Shetty–co-founded Bastian for allegedly flouting rules
Blurb
A case was registered against Bastian under relevant sections of Karnataka Police Act at Cubbon Park Police Station
OB Bureau
Bangalore’s upscale nightlife just got served a legal lemon and at the centre of the storm is Bastian, the chic St Mark’s Road restaurant co-founded by Bollywood’s ever-glam Shilpa Shetty. What was meant to be a buzzworthy after-dark destination has now become fodder for police logs and social feeds alike, with the city’s finest locking horns with one of Tinsel Town’s most recognisable names.
According to police, the glitzy eatery allegedly flouted the city’s strict operating hours and played host to late-night revelry long past the legally permitted closing time last week, prompting law enforcement to swing into action.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Karnataka Police Act at Cubbon Park Police Station, with managers and staff named in the FIR for allegedly running the restaurant unauthorisedly after hours.
The buzz began when officers on special patrol reportedly nabbed the venue in full swing at around 1.30 am, well beyond the stipulated cut-off time and well past when most city souls had called it a night.
Adding drama to the plot, this isn’t the only headache for the Bastian empire. Recent days have seen Income Tax officials raid the restaurant’s Bangalore outlet, a development that only drums up further speculation and chatter across nightlife whisper networks.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the reason for that action, but the timing, coming on the heels of the operating hours row, has ignited fresh conjecture online.
At the heart of all this is a familiar entertainment industry figure. Shilpa Shetty, who, alongside business partner Raj Kundra, has had a fair share of legal scrapes to navigate recently, took to social media to firmly reject allegations attached to the restaurant case.
Her statement calls the claims “baseless and motivated”, stressing that issues are being cast in a criminal light without lawful grounds and that a quashing petition is already pending before the High Court.
For Bangalore’s dining set, and especially the late-night party crowd who have made Bastian a go-to, the unfolding saga reads like an unscripted drama.
Whether this turns into a courtroom binge or fades into a city-chronicle footnote remains to be seen. But for now, one thing’s clear – the city that never sleeps might just have bitten off more than it can chew when it comes to holding time at bay.