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.
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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.