SC Says No Logic Behind the Kerala Govt Liquor Policy

The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the logic behind the Kerala government’s new liquor policy limiting bar licences to 5-star hotels as part of a move to implement total prohibition in the state in 10 years and agreed to examine it.

A bench of justices A R Dave and U U Lalit agreed to grant an urgent hearing on a plea of aggrieved owners of hotels and posted the case for Thursday. It asked the state government not to take any coercive step against the hotels until then.

Under the new policy, the Congress-led UDF government had last month decided to shut around 700 bars attached to hotels below five-star categories. The order was to be implemented on Thursday. “What is the logic behind this? We don’t see any logic,” the bench said.

Top lawyers appearing for various hotels, including senior advocates Fali S Nariman, Ram Jethmalani, Rajeev Dhawan, C S Sunderam and Arvind Dattar, made a strong plea to the court to stay the policy. They submitted that their bar licences would be revoked from midnight and urged the bench to take up the case for hearing urgently. They contended that their business would suffer as they had already accepted bookings from tourists. Senior counsel Dhawan argued that their licences should survive till the March 31, 2015 expiry date.

Src- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-logic-in-Keralas-liquor-policy-Supreme-Court/articleshow/42231118.cms

Found Useful? Do Share: SC Says No Logic Behind the Kerala Govt Liquor Policy: