The Kerala government on Wednesday informed the High Court that as many as 13 beer/wine parlours opened along the the Kannur-Vengalam-Kuttippuram National Highway had been shut following the High Court’s oral directive.
When the petitions seeking review of the court’s earlier judgment on the issue came up for hearing, the government pleader submitted that no liquor vending shops were allowed along the Cherthala-Oachira-Thiruvananthapuram stretch as the government was sure that the stretch continued to be part of the National Highway. However, there was confusion about the status of the Kannur-Vengalam-Kuttipuram Highway.
The court directed the Deputy Commissioners of Excise in the districts of Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram to appear personally before it on June 14 with the files relating to the renewal of the beer and wine parlours opened along the Kannur-Kuttipuram stretch. The court observed that the Deputy Commissioners concerned should have cleared the confusion about the status of the road before allowing these liquor shops to function.
The court said it was not true that it had directed the government to take steps to allow the beer and wine parlous to open. It had only directed it to consider the claims of petitioner hoteliers in the light of the notifications and order issued with respect to the National Highways.
‘Not for confrontation’
In a related development, Kerala Excise Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan said the government was not for a confrontation with the court on allowing the operation of the liquor vends.
He said the government had ordered the reopened outlets in Kannur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts to be closed again, following the court’s directive.
“The government does not want a confrontation with the court. We have an open mind and will abide by the High Court ruling,” he said.
