Lack of parking space within the hotel is the reason the traffic police has given the Bombay High Court to justify its rejection of granting a five star hotel the license to run a discotheque.

Reiterating its decision to reject license permission to Hotel Sea Princess at Juhu, the traffic police department informed the Bombay high court on Friday that it was one of the 39 hotels in the city which was issued letters in last November for alleged violations.

A division bench of Justice PB Majmudar and Justice RD Dhanuka summoned Commissioner of Police Arup Patnaik yesterday while hearing a petition by Hotel Sea Princess challenging an order passed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) rejecting permission to issue a license to run a discotheque inside the hotel.

Advocate General Darius Khambatta informed the High Court that they had sent letters to 39 hotels in the city in November 2011 for alleged violations as they did not have sufficient parking space in their premises.

MM Vashi, advocate for Sea Princess, informed high court that a five star hotel adjacent to theirs doesn’t have a single parking. “We have 117 parking spaces for vehicles,” said Vashi.

Khambatta replied that Sea Princess was using part of its parking space as the kitchen.

Justice Majmudar remarked that the government and police should ensure that wrong-doers are punished. “But you should first give them a hearing,” he remarked.