The Gauhati High Court has directed the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration to close down all pubs, bars and liquor shops located within a 500-metre radius of hospitals, dispensaries, nursing homes, religious and educational buildings, and courts and tribunals in the city.
The directive by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan came on a petition filed by Arun Pathak, who challenged an order passed by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kamrup (Metropolitan) directing temporary closure of his bar following a public complaint.
The court directed the DC to furnish, within 10 days, a list of the liquor shops, bars, and pubs, functioning in the prohibited zone along with the names of officials who granted them licence.
On Thursday, the Bench ordered closure of all such bars and liquor shops and asked the DC to submit a compliance report by 10.30 a.m. on Friday.
When Mr. Pathak's petition came up for hearing, senior government advocate B. Chetri said the particular bar fell within the 500-metre limit.