Hyderabad: The fate of nearly 1,400 liquor shops and bars in Telangana located within 500 metres from national and state highways is likely to be known on Monday when the Supreme Court takes up a series of petitions filed by the Centre, state governments and the owners of liquor shops and bars.
The apex court had in December 2016 ruled that all such bars and liquor shops should be closed by March 31. However, several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking relaxations, which have been listed for a hearing on March 27.
The state government and the owners of liquor shops and bars are in a fix as the March 31 deadline to implement the SC order on the highways is just four days away.
They are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the petitions in the Supreme Court on Monday. Officials and shop owners are worried over the future course of action if the apex court postpones the case to a later date.
The excise department has already communicated that it would seal the shops and bars, which are functioning in contravention of the Supreme Court order from April 1.
While liquor shop owners are a worried lot, the excise department is playing safe by seeking undertakings from owners that they will find alternative locations from April 1 thereby ensuring that the government need not return licence fee to owners.
In its judgement, the Supreme Court held liquor shops near highways to be a prime reason for fatalities caused by drunken driving and ordered the states against renewing the licence after its expiry on March 31.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, however, face a peculiar situation as the licence of liquor shops and bars is valid till September-end. So they contend that the order about the renewal of licences doesn’t apply as the licence are valid for a period beyond March 31.
The owners will suffer losses for the balance six-month period if they fail to find alternate locations. “This is totally unfair on the part of excise officials. They are stating that all our existing stocks would be seized and shops locked from April 1, if there are no extension orders from the Supreme Court. They have collected licence fee from us, but they are refusing to return it in case our shops are closed from April 1 by taking forcible undertakings. They are trying to put blame on us for not finding alternative locations since December last, when the SC gave highway liquor ban orders,” said D. Venkateshwar Rao, president, TS wine shop dealers association.
In his advice to the Kerala government, meanwhile, attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi had reportedly said that the Supreme Court’s order doesn’t apply to bars and restaurants which served alcohol.
He had reportedly said that since bars, restaurants and pubs served liquor to customers there itself, these could not be equated with liquor shops, where people buy liquor and consume it on the highways, potentially causing mishaps.
