The Madras High Court Bench here on Friday made it clear that an interim order passed by it on Thursday to close down the bars functioning in the recreational clubs in the district would not apply to Madurai Union Club which was selling liquor only to its members and not to outsiders as was being done by other clubs.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K. Sasidharan and G.R. Swaminathan, however, ordered notices to all seven clubs in the district and directed them to file their replies by August 21. The judges refused to accept the submissions made by a counsel appearing on behalf of one of the clubs that his client does not sell liquor to outsiders.
Pointing to the photograph of a board kept outside the club to publicise that an air-conditioned bar was available there, Mr. Justice Sasidharan asked the counsel what was the necessity for a recreational club, that had been permitted to serve liquor only to its members, to keep a board mentioning the availability of a bar over there.
The judge said that the clubs could not be allowed to function like liquor vending shops despite being issued with FL2 licence for procuring, storing and selling liquor strictly to their members alone.
Concurring with the senior judge, Mr. Justice Swaminathan said: “I have appeared for at least 25 clubs when I was a lawyer and I know the reality.”
