(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) If the state government has any objection it can approach the high court division bench but only after implementing its earlier order the court said.
Trivandrum: In a huge setback to Kerala’s Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government the Supreme Court on Thursday termed impractical the state’s new liquor policy that has triggered a big controversy in the state.
A division bench of the apex court comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Arun Mishra questioned the logic behind the liquor policy limiting bar licenses to five-star hotels alone while dismissing the government’s plea challenging a high court order to issue licenses to 10 bar hotels.Severely criticising the policy that seeks to implement total prohibition in the state in a phased manner the bench has directed the government to immediately issue licenses to the ten bar hotels which include nine three star hotels. If the state government has any objection it can approach the high court division bench but only after implementing its earlier order the court said.
Observing that the Kerala government had approached the apex court with the aim not to implement the high court order the apex court rejected the government’s plea to drop contempt of court proceedings against the Excise Commissioner for his failure to comply with the high court order.
The state cabinet had decided to file an appeal in the apex court in spite of adverse legal advice from the advocate-general. The bench summarily rejected the appeal asking how they could discriminate business establishments while implementing a policy.
The court noted that the liquor policy of the government was astonishing. “New things are being heard about the policy every day. We have more to comment on them but we are keeping silence” the judges said.
Under the new policy the government had decided not to renew the licenses of 418 bars lying closed since April 1 2014 and shut down remaining bars below five-star category. However the high court directed the government to allow all four star hotels and heritage hotels to function on a petition filed by the affected bar owners. The government itself went back on its policy and allowed the 418 bar hotels below the four-star category to function as beer and wine parlours. Barring a few all other bars have now been re-opened. The opposition had alleged that the government decision was prompted by the allegations of graft raised by bar owners against Finance Minister K M Mani.
The opposition has decided to boycott Mani to press their demand for his resignation. A meeting of the LDF state committee held here on Thursday has also decided to stage marches to the secretariat and taluk offices on February 3. The social media has also joined the chorus with netizens flooding Mani with money orders ranging from Rs5 to Rs500. The social media campaign was spurred by noted film maker Aashiq Abu with a posting on Facebook: “We must collect some more millions for our Mani sir who does not have money to feed himself. Here’s my contribution of Rs500.”
Following Aashiq’s call Keralites from across the globe joined the protest by sending their ‘contribution’ as money orders to his ancestral home at Palai in Kottayam district.
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