Sarai Act: Imagine you are on a road trip or for that matter are stuck in city traffic and have your pet in the back of your car? You are thirsty and nature calls. What will you do?

Did you know that as a Citizen Of India you have the right to walk into any hotel even if you are not a paying customer. You can and your pet can ask for water and use the washroom.

The Sarais Act 1867 is the Act enjoined upon a keeper of Sarai or an inn to keep a certain quality of water fit for “consumption by persons and use of it by the animals” to the satisfaction of the district magistrate or his nominees.

The Sarais Act 1867 required Sarais (lodges) to provide free drinking water for persons and for animals too and toilet facilities to the public.

Every hotel, restaurant, and “eatery” has been directed to grant open access to all citizens, irrespective of whether they are customers or not. At best, there is discretion to charge a fee of Rs 5.

The Indian Sarais Act 1867 : “Sarai means any building used for the shelter and accommodation of travellers, and includes, in any case in which only part of a building is used as a Sarai, the part so used of such building.” This certainly covers hotels, though perhaps not restaurants and “eateries”.

Governancenow.com states that the Sarai Act, 1867, which asks Sarai-keepers to give free drinking water to passersby, is applicable to hotels. The act is now redundant in principle as all hotels already have relevant state legislation

Such a great law can be quite a boon for everyone and must be widely publicised and is issued in public interest.

The act remains in practice as far as hotels go which means for the layperson the next time you are on the road and nature calls you can very well go into a hotel and use the washroom for free or just by giving a Rs.5/- fee.

It most definitely makes one peaceful knowing that free access to water and hopefully a clean hygienic washroom is just a hotel away!