For Bengalureans disappointed by the shut down of their favourite bars there is finally some good news. The Karnataka Excise Commissioner has passed an order on Thursday stating that the bars that were shut down can open its shutters from Saturday.
This comes after the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, issued a clarification, stating that the ban on the sale of liquor within 500 mts of highways is not applicable within municipal limits.
“In the light of the clarification of the Supreme Court permits of liquor vends within 500 mts of municipal limits can be renewed,” the Karnataka Excise Commissioner’s order reads.
This comes as a big relief for bar owners and liquor vends across various cities in the country.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, had on July 11 said that the December 15, 2016, order only dealt with the sale of liquor along and near highways that are “properly understood” and “provide connectivity between cities, towns and villages”.
“We have considered it appropriate to issue this clarification to set at rest any ambiguity,” the court said. The July 11 order was posted on the apex court website only on Wednesday.
This clarification will clear nearly all pending litigation in High Courts on this matter and has brought huge relief to thousands who feared losing their jobs.
A pall of gloom had set when disillusioned bar owners of the Central Business District in Bengaluru had reconciled themselves to either shutting shop or relocating.
“There were thousands who would lose their jobs if pubs shut down in Karnataka. In the central business district alone, there are over 4,000 employees in various bars. This means that the livelihoods of over 4,000 people and their families were at stake. It was the state government’s job to protect them but it does not matter where the relief comes from. It is a good sign,” said Ashish Kothare, member of the Bengaluru Pub Owners’ Association.
The state government was targeting an excise revenue of Rs 18,000 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal against the Rs 16,484 crore of 2016-17. While the bars have been shut for almost three months, Excise Department officials have pegged the loss at around Rs 5,000 crore.
However, apart from the 741 outlets in Bengaluru, which will get relief from the SC clarification, the excise officials are yet to ascertain the total number of bars and liquor vends, which would be exempt from the ban.
According to Kothare, most of the owners of retail liquor shops and bars had already paid the license fee for renewal, although they knew that the ban was to be imposed on June 1.
“The Excise Department officials had suggested that we pay the licence fee although the renewal was not possible as the last date was nearing. They had assured us that the ban would be lifted soon. Now, it will be easy for us to obtain the licence and the seized liquor stock,” Ashish Kothare added.
On December 15, 2016, the apex court had imposed the ban after hearing a plea that claimed that nearly 1.42 lakh people died in road accidents every year, and that drunken driving was a major cause for this.
While no shops were closed in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh began relocating several liquor outlets since July 1, after an extension it secured from the Supreme Court ended on June 30.