Speaking to reporters, K N Sumbramanyam Naidu said that CL-9 license holders were violating the provisions of Rule 11 of the Karnataka Excise (License General Conditions) by providing couple dances and discotheque facilities.
“The discotheques which also hold the CL-9 license remit the excise license fee similar to us and are permitted to run the show, while live band entertainers are not allowed to do so,” he said.
A member also narrated an incident when a police officer in Indiranagar was roughed up by a discotheque owner when he raided its premises in September last year.
Misbehaviour
“The owner of the premises was running a discotheque with a bar license and several incidents of misbehaviour with customers were reported there,” the member said.
Mr Naidu said that since 2,000 former live band artists were left jobless because a ban was imposed on live bands they were forced to take up illegal activities.
The Association also urged Governsor Rameshwar Thakur to revoke the Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment Order 2005, that banned live bands from operating in the State.