Party all night: On New Year’s Eve, Maharashtra govt allows eateries, bars to stay open till 5 am
Mumbai (PTI): In view of New Year’s Eve celebrations across Maharashtra, the state government has permitted establishments like eateries, restaurants, hotels, orchestra bars and pubs to operate till 5 am on January 1, officials said on Wednesday.
The home department issued a "permanent" order on Tuesday night, permitting extended hours to the entertainment and hospitality venues, an official said.
This order will now remain in force for Christmas Eve (December 24 night), Christmas (December 25 night) and New Year’s Eve (December 31 night) in the future, as hotel and restaurant associations make these requests every year. Many a time, approval gets delayed due to administrative paperwork, he said.
While the establishments will be allowed to stay open till 5 am on the specified nights, they will also have to follow specific terms and conditions, the official said.
According to the conditions, establishment owners will arrange private security guards inside and outside their premises to avoid law and order issues. In case of any such problem, the owner or licence holder will be held responsible, he said.
The order also makes it clear that the time relaxation applies only for the use of the premises. Existing rules about the use of sound and music systems will continue to apply, including all directives issued by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court.
As per the order, the time extension applies to establishments operating from building premises and enclosed places. It is not applicable to open venues, said the official.
The home department, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also instructed the police department to keep adequate vigil to maintain law and order during the New Year’s Eve celebrations, the order stated.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
