Apex Court gives relief to Kerala bar owners
11 Sept 2014 5:32 AM IST
In a 24-hour reprieve to bar owners in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Wednesday told the state government led by chief minister Oommen Chandy not to enforce its order prohibiting functioning of non-five-star hotel bars till Thursday when the court will take up for hearing a batch of petitions challenging the ban order.
The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Anil R Dave asked the state government to keep its hands off as it would hear the matter on Thursday when it was mentioned by a battery of senior lawyers representing different petitioners. The Kerala government has passed an order banning the sale of liquor at bars and hotels below the five-star category and the ban order comes into force on 11 September this year.
The top court said it will hear the case, filed by an association of bar owners, on Thursday. State chief minister Oommen Chandy last month had said that only five-star hotels will be allowed to keep serving booze and even they will have to go dry on Sunday.
But the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the logic of exempting five-stars and said it will deliberate on the policy on Thursday. According to the government’s plans, state-run liquor stores will be phased out at a rate of 10 per cent a year for the next decade, leaving a big hole in the state coffers.
The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Anil R Dave asked the state government to keep its hands off as it would hear the matter on Thursday when it was mentioned by a battery of senior lawyers representing different petitioners. The Kerala government has passed an order banning the sale of liquor at bars and hotels below the five-star category and the ban order comes into force on 11 September this year.
The top court said it will hear the case, filed by an association of bar owners, on Thursday. State chief minister Oommen Chandy last month had said that only five-star hotels will be allowed to keep serving booze and even they will have to go dry on Sunday.
But the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the logic of exempting five-stars and said it will deliberate on the policy on Thursday. According to the government’s plans, state-run liquor stores will be phased out at a rate of 10 per cent a year for the next decade, leaving a big hole in the state coffers.
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