SC Bans Liquor Shops on National Highways

Supreme Court in its latest order said that all the licenses of liquor shops in and around the National Highways in all the states would be closed.

The apex court, however, said that they can operate till period they were having their licenses and no renewal of their licenses would be made.

Bench headed by CJI TS Thakur also said that all signages indicating presence of liquor shops will be prohibited on national and state highways.

A SC bench also ruled that there should not be any liqour shops within 500 metres of such highways and they should also be not visible from such roads.

Chief Secretaries of each state has been asked to chalk out the ban enforcement plan in consultation with excise and municipal officials of each state.

The court had come down heavily on states for not heeding the Centre’s advice to not give licences to the vends on the highways. Instead, the states have increased the number of licences, the bench pointed out.

The first communiqué was released in 2007, since then the Centre has been sending notices to the states.

The courts have held that the shops be located at a distance from where they are neither visible nor accessible to the commuters.