No Relief For Hotels, Bars As Supreme Court Upholds Liquor Ban Along Highways
Apex court exempts smaller municipalities and two north eastern states from the ban.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas by hotels and bars seeking exemption from an earlier order to ban liquor vends along highways across the country from April 1. The court said exempting them from the order will defeat the purpose of preventing drunk driving.
The top court, however, relaxed some norms for smaller municipal areas and two north-eastern states.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions from some states, bars and hotel associations seeking a modification of its December 2016 order banning liquor vends within 500 metres of state and national highways across the country from next month.
Modifying its order, it lowered the area limit for municipal areas falling along the highways with population of less than 20,000 to 220 metres from 500 metres.
It also exempted Sikkim and Meghalaya from the 500-metre requirement. The apex court also allowed vendors whose licences are valid beyond April 1 to continue operations till their licences expire, but not later than 30 September 2017.
On Thursday, arguing against the ban, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi questioned what would happen to small municipal areas on state highways which fall within this limit. Counsel for the hotel and bar associations Aryama Sundaram cited the example of the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, which is along the highway.
The court, in its December 15 order last year, had called for a ban on all liquor shops along all highways and made it clear that licences of the existing shops will not be renewed after March 31. The apex court order also directed that all signages indicating the presence of liquor vends will be prohibited along the highways.