Bars, restaurants exempted from SC liquor ban: A-G

Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi said the Supreme Court order banning sale of liquor within 500-meter radius of state and national highways ONLY applies to liquor shops and not restaurants and bars. The Supreme Court order in  December was aimed at increasing road safety as it blamed liquorvends for drunk driving incidents. The court imposed a March 31 deadline on states and Union Territories to shut down liquor vends near highways and banned them from renewing licenses to highway liquor outlets after March 31. State governments had strongly opposed the ban citing huge loss of revenue. There was confusion over whether the order applied to bars and restaurants as well and the Kerala government had submitted a petition to the country’s top court in this regard. Now, the Attorney General has given an opinion saying bars and restaurants need not fear closure. He said the court would have clarified in its initial order had the ban extended to these entities, adding it would be untenable to equate vends with bars and restaurants. However, the Supreme Court will take a final call on the issue even as other states have raised doubts on the order.