HC stays sanctioning of more liquor outlets

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, JULY 3. A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed for two weeks the order issued by the UDF Government sanctioning 55 new liquor shops under the Kerala State Beverages Corporation.

The Bench, comprising the Acting Chief Justice, Mr. Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan, and Mr. Justice T.H. Hassan Pillai, issued the interim order on a writ petition filed by Mr. Jayaprakash Narayanan, general secretary, Kerala Prohibition Council, Kochi.

When the petition came up before the Bench, the Government Pleader submitted that Rule 4 of Chapter III of the Kerala Abkari Shops in Disposal Rule 2001 had been amended and that he may be given time to make available the amended order before the court. According to the rule, the number of independent toddy and foreign liquor shops and its limits, location, period would have to be notified before April 1 every year. The rules also said that the privileges for vending, selling and supply should be notified in accordance with the sale rule.

The petitioner pointed out that according to the order issued on March 23, 2001, the total number of foreign liquor shops sanctioned in each district in addition to toddy shops and the shops sanctioned in each range was 231. The order was in conformity with the statutory rule and abkari policy of the year. However, in violation of the statutory rule, the new Government had sanctioned on June 20, 2001 as many as 55 shops. In fact, the abkari policy for the year 2001-2002 had stated that the number of shops for toddy and Indian Made Foreign Liquor would be confined to the number that existed during 2000-01 and no additional shops would be sanctioned. Thus, the new order was in violation of the Abkari Policy as well.

The petition sought to quash the new order sanctioning new shops under the Beverages Corporation.

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Section  : Southern States
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