Deepali Kalia –
Published on August 10, 2021, at 15:10 IST
On 10th August, Kerala High Court berated the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) upon discovering a liquor store in terrible condition in the city.
Justice Devan Ramachandran screen shared a picture of the liquor store he had stumbled upon and remarked, “Just yesterday I personally saw a liquor shop that looked like a gambling den from old Bollywood movies- it was dark, dingy and barricaded. Look at the store, it’s so dark you can’t even see what’s happening inside. This is happening as we speak.”
The Single Judge Bench was dealing with a contempt matter concerning the inexecution of Court’s order to provide citizens a civilized way to buy liquor from BEVCO outlets.
Earlier, the Court had directed the State government and its BEVCO to set up liquor shops in a civilized manner.
“Please understand you are selling it (alcohol) to our citizens. You are not selling it to aliens. Our citizens have a basic right to be treated as citizens”, Justice Devan Ramachandran had said.
“Women and kids cannot walk past such shops at any point of time. Even men find it difficult to walk there. What kind of signal are we giving to society? Set up shops in a civilized manner and ensure they function in a cultured way, like any other shop, and people will not oppose it”, the Court directed.
Earlier the State had informed the Court that around 96 outlets out of 306 were found to be lacking in basic facilities.
The Bench then asked whether the shop in the picture was one of the 96 and remarked, “If it was one of the 96 shops, then it should have been shut down. But it was open yesterday, so I’m assuming it is not. I am shocked by this, please verify if you have included this store among the ones you planned to shut down.”
The Bench also asked why the Clause IV of the recent Government Order on August 4 which stated that only individuals with at least one dose of vaccine or negative report will be allowed into establishments was not applicable to liquor stores.
Demanding answers to the questions raised by it the Court listed the matter for tomorrow for further hearing.
Also Read: Kerala High Court: Excessive crowd at Public places, Liquor shops should not be Permissible
