No immediate relief to liquor and bar owners

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to provide interim relief to liquor shops and bar-owners who pleaded that their establishments are not within 500 meters of the national and state highways and therefore should be allowed to operate.

While refusing to hear the plea, a vacation bench of Justice B.P. Colabawala and Justice A.M. Badar said there was no urgency, which called for an immediate hearing. It could well be heard four days later. The court has set the hearing for June 7 before a regular bench.

On December 15, 2016, the Supreme Court had directed that all liquor shops and bars, which are situated within 500 meters of the national and state highway, should be closed by March 2017. Following this, the collector and excise department superintendent issued a notice for the same to be shut.

On petitioners’ behalf, advocate Shashikant Choudhary told The Asian Age that even though a Public Works Department’s communication has clarified that these outlets are situated beyond the prescribed limit, they are being shut. Even shops on the internal roads constructed under the Rajiv Gandhi Gram Sadak Yojana are being forced to close down, he said.