The Kerala High Court on Thursday upheld the State government’s decision not to renew the licences of bars in two- and three-star and other hotels even as it allowed a batch of petitions challenging the decision not to issue licences to four-star and heritage hotels.
The judge said the proposal to shut down bars in four-star and heritage hotels surfaced all of a sudden in the liquor policy of 2014-15. The preferential treatment given to the bars in hotels in five-star and higher categories could not be justified as well.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran said the verdict was a recognition of the new liquor policy of the government.
Mr. Chandy said it was incorrect to observe that the verdict was only a partial ratification.
Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has termed it a wrong policy.
