Liquor vend order today

SC will on Friday pass an order on pleas opposing the ruling that had banned liquor vends along highways.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Friday give its order on applications wanting a modification of its December 15, 2016 judgement that banned liquor vends along national and state highways.

The pleas have been filed by state governments and also private parties representing liquor vend owners from different regions. During the hearing, a bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar said the liquor shops were ordered to be removed to a distance of 500 metres from either side of the state and national highway in the “interest of the public health.”

It told the state and liquor lobbies the judgement was an endorsement of the Centre’s stand on the issue since 2004.

“It was the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Union government which had first taken a decision in 2004 that no liquor vends should be permitted on the national highways,” the judges said in response to the arguments against the verdict.

“We have not laid down policy. We have only laid down norms,” the bench said while referring to the ministries advisories to the states since 2004. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Kerala and Tamil Nadu said such a ban should be restricted only to national highways alone and not state highways. Advocates for some states, restaurant owners and liquor vends submitted the verdict would cause huge financial loss to the exchequer. HTC

THE PLEAS HAVE BEEN FILED BY STATE GOVERNMENTS AND ALSO PRIVATE PARTIES REPRESENTING LIQUOR VEND OWNERS FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY