Liquor shops will reopen across Tamil Nadu — except in Chennai, Tiruvallur and COVID-19 containment zones — on Saturday, following a Supreme Court stay on a Madras High Court order directing closure of Tasmac outlets during the lockdown.
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Colour-coded tokens will be issued to customers on each day of the week.
A Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, S.K. Kaul and B.R. Gavai, which issued notices to the respondents, on Friday stayed the May 8 High Court order after counsel for Tamil Nadu argued that the closure order was arbitrary and unreasonable and that the judiciary had encroached upon State policy.
“It is the decision of the State how and what to sell... Why should the High Court get into it? Why should a person need Aadhaar to buy liquor? Plus, we cannot trust anybody to carry liquor. There will be riots. T.N. is not like Delhi,” senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said.
In the wake of the SC stay order, the government announced that liquor shops would function between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Customers should mandatorily wear a mask while coming to the shops.
According to Tasmac sources, around 3,600 shops will be open. Each outlet will be given 500 tokens a day. “We have asked those in charge of the outlets to issue only 60 tokens per hour to avoid crowding. Each person gets one token,” an official said.
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To avoid manipulation of tokens, Tasmac has printed them in different colours. “Each colour represents a particular day and the time at which they can buy liquor will be written on the token,” another source said. “If the shops are opening at 10 a.m., we will start giving out the tokens at 9 a.m. The second round of tokens will be issued only after the first batch moves out,” he explained. Customers need not bring Aadhaar cards like the last time around.
The High Court had ordered closure of liquor outlets within two days of permitting them to open after widespread crowding and violation of guidelines laid down by it created a scare about possible spread of COVID-19 .
Earlier, Additional Advocate General Balaji Srinivasan submitted in the apex court via video-conferencing that the State had already imposed restrictions and was enforcing and monitoring physical distancing norms. Conditions imposed by the High Court — a person cannot purchase more than two bottles of alcohol of any one type and must give Aadhaar details at the time of purchase — were both illogical and unworkable, he argued.
Mr. Rohatgi pointed out that home delivery of liquor would expose it to adulteration and cause social and domestic problems. He and Mr. Srinivasan said indefinite closure of liquor shops would lead to ‘grave’ revenue and commercial losses.
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Mr. Srinivasan pointed out that the High Court’s ban order was passed the very same day that the Supreme Court dismissed an identical call to close liquor shops across the country. Further, the Supreme Court had clarified on May 8 that a decision on online sales and home delivery of liquor would be left entirely to the discretion of the States.
Besides, the Tamil Nadu Liquor (License and Permit) Rules, 1981 did not provide for online sales. The State would also have to amend the Tamil Nadu Liquor Retail Vending (In Shops and Bars) Rules of 2003. The High Court could not dictate liquor sale policy to the government, it was argued.
