No interference will be caused: Delhi Police now assures High Court of adequate security to liquor vend and its employees

New Delhi: Even as municipal corporations in Delhi and the BJP target newly-sanctioned liquor vends in the city after publicly declaring their opposition to the Delhi government's new Excise Policy, one of these vends has now approached the Delhi High Court seeking police protection, after which the police have assured all

support.

The Delhi Police has assured the high court that adequate security would be provided to a liquor vend and its employees for ingress and egress to the outlet and no interference would be caused in its functioning.

The submission by the police was made during the hearing on a petition by the owner of a liquor vend who sought direction to the authorities to take adequate steps so that the petitioner is in a position to run his outlet without any hindrance from unlawful protesters sitting outside the vend and damaging its premises.

Noting the stand of the police, Justice Rekha Palli disposed of the petition saying no further orders are called for. "It is clarified that this order will, however, be subject to the continued validity of the liquor license in favour of the petitioner," the court said.

Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi and advocate Arun Panwar, representing the State and Delhi Police, assured that the concerned SHO of the area will ensure adequate security is provided to the petitioner and its employees for ingress and egress to the liquor vend.

The counsel further assured the court that adequate steps will be taken to ensure that no interference is caused in the smooth functioning of the liquor vend. Petitioner Universal Distributors, running a liquor vend at Ashok Nagar in Shahdara, said it has a valid liquor licence and is seeking direction to the authorities to provide adequate

security.

The petitioner's counsel said they have made various representations to the SHO of Police Station Jyoti Colony seeking adequate security for the petitioner and its employees for ingress and egress to the liquor vend but "no action has been taken till date".

Significantly, several newly-sanctioned liquor stores have seen protests by locals and members of BJP and Congress. The opening of at least one such vend was stayed by a court here even as there are almost a dozen petitions pending against the new policy in the Delhi High Court.

However, the Delhi government has been able to go ahead with the policy as the high court had explicitly not stayed the implementation of the policy.

It had noted that as executive, the government should have the room to design creative policy changes.