NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the petition filed by the bar owners in Kerala seeking review of the apex court’s judgement on the liquor policy of the UDF government which led to the closure of 418 bars in the state.
A bench headed by Justice J S Khehar rejected the petition filed by bar owner Polakkulam Korishnadas.
The petition maintained that the court had not considered the partisan aspect of the liquor policy in its earlier verdict.
The court had earlier uphel d the new liquor policy of the UDF government restricting bar licence to hotels of five-star category alone.
The court had also directed the state government to curb sale of liquor at low rates in the vicinity of five-star hotels.
The bar owners, in their plea, have contended that the policy of was discriminatory in nature and would lead to a situation where only the well-heeled have access to alcohol.
However, Kerala government had argued that the decision taken by the state not to renew licenses was a policy decision.
During the hearing, Kerala government had told the court that they want to prevent young people from destroying their lives by drinking too much, and that hotel owners cannot be allowed to make money at the cost of the future of the youth.
Kerala had 753 bar hotels, of which 418 were closed in April last year. 14 percent of the liquor manufactured in the country is consumed in Kerala.