The owners of an Indian takeaway restaurant on Amsterdam's Elandsgracht challenged in court the municipality's closure order, which took effect at the end of September and runs until 1 January 2027. Residents have made dozens of complaints about cooking odours from an exhaust pipe beneath a neighbour's balcony. The owners, who took over the business in February, said they intend to move to another premises on 1 January but need to reopen in the meantime because of their financial position.

The municipality said reopening would require, among other measures, replacing the 85-centimetre exhaust pipe with one two metres high and submitting a final permit application, for which the decision period is six weeks. It also proposed keeping the rear door closed more often, preparing food elsewhere or using less spicy cooking. The judge is expected to rule within two weeks on whether the restaurant may reopen and under what conditions.