The raids by Mumbai Police on lodges and the subsequent penalising of couples dragged out has sparked a controversy over moral policing.
A senior Maharashtra minister has rubbished allegations of "moral policing" by the Mumbai Police, which has earned widespread criticism for its heavy-handed action against couples who had checked into hotels that it raided last week.
Finance Minister Sudhir Munganitwar objected to the very term "moral policing" and said that the police must be encouraged for "good things."
"It has become a fashion to use the word moral policing. There is no moral policing in the country. We think differently for daughters and family members... it is our duty to encourage good things," the minister said.
"Our country has laid several good examples of culture. By using these words again and again we should not demoralise the police," Mr Munganitwar added.
The clean chit was granted even as Mumbai police commissioner
Rakesh Maria has ordered an inquiry into the raids at the city's Madh Island and Aksa area on the afternoon of Thursday last, when cops dragged out 60 people from hotel rooms and allegedly harassed and humiliated them.
The couples were fined for indecent behaviour in public. One young woman has alleged that she was slapped by a woman constable when she refused to pay the fine.
Confirming the incident, a man who was at one of the lodges with his girlfriend, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the cops came at 4:30 in the evening and they were only let off after being detained for four hours.
"Many of the couples present were engaged or were planning to get married and they all came by their own accord. The police kept harassing all of us, insisting these were the orders of their seniors. It was mental harassment for all of us. Finally, at 8:30 pm they let us go after we paid a fine," the man said insisting all present were adults.
CCTV footage from one of the hotels showed cops taking the couples and others away.
The police have said they were acting on complaints by locals in the area who complained of "public indecency", prostitution and drunk people creating a ruckus at the hotels.
Social media boiled over with outrage at what was universally slammed as an absurd case of "moral policing."
On the weekend, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he will review the incident after he returns to Mumbai from Nagpur today.