Liqour ban on highways include bars and pubs : Supreme Court

Team Udayavani, Apr 1, 2017, 12:48 PM IST

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has clarified on its judgment to shut down all liquor shops within 500 metres of National and State Highways across the country. The Supreme Court has said the ban extends not just to retail liquor outlets but also to bars, pubs and restaurants which serves liquor located on State and National highways.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar further relaxed its directives for city, town and municipal areas with a population of less than 20,000, saying they could have liquor vends 220 metres from the highways. For other areas, the buffer is 500 metres. The ban as per the December 15 judgment starts from April 1.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where the excise licences are valid till October 1 and June 30, respectively, there will be no ban on highway liquor sales till September 30, 2017.

However, the court denied Tamil Nadu any relief. It dismissed the State’s request to reduce the no-liquor zone from 500 m to 100 m, and held that the ban will start from April 1 itself.

However, Northeastern States of Sikkim and Meghalaya got a fill exemption from the 500-m no-liquor zone ban after the court took into consideration their hilly terrain and also the fact that 82% of its area is forest and over 90% of its liquor shops would be closed if the ban is imposed strictly in its original form.

The Supreme Court has clarified on its judgment to shut down all liquor shops within 500 metres of National and State Highways across the country. The Supreme Court has said the ban extends not just to retail liquor outlets but also to bars, pubs and restaurants which serves liquor located on State and National highways.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar further relaxed its directives for city, town and municipal areas with a population of less than 20,000, saying they could have liquor vends 220 metres from the highways. For other areas, the buffer is 500 metres. The ban as per the December 15 judgment starts from April 1.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where the excise licences are valid till October 1 and June 30, respectively, there will be no ban on highway liquor sales till September 30, 2017.

However, the court denied Tamil Nadu any relief. It dismissed the State’s request to reduce the no-liquor zone from 500 m to 100 m, and held that the ban will start from April 1 itself.

However, Northeastern States of Sikkim and Meghalaya got a fill exemption from the 500-m no-liquor zone ban after the court took into consideration their hilly terrain and also the fact that 82% of its area is forest and over 90% of its liquor shops would be closed if the ban is imposed strictly in its original form.