NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Rajasthan High Court’s order directing the state to remove or relocate all liquor shops within a 500-metre limit from national or state highways due to a surge in fatal road accidents.
“Issue notice. The effect and operation of the impugned order is stayed,” said a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.
While issuing notices on multiple pleas filed by various liquor vendors and Rajasthan government, the top court, however, said that the HC’s “concern was genuine” and the government may consider it while formulating its liquor policy in future.
The HC order under challenge arose from a petition filed in 2023 by two residents of Sujangarh in Churu district. They had complained about liquor shops being located close to highways.
While hearing that petition, the HC began examining road safety issues in depth. It referred to data showing a rise in drunk driving cases in Rajasthan in 2025 and recent accidents in which dozens of people had died within days.
It had rejected the state’s stand and said that the discretion given by the SC had been misused and that treating highways as “municipal areas” defeated the very purpose of road safety. The HC had thereby directed that all liquor shops within 500 metres of National and State Highways be removed or relocated within two months. Following this, a batch of petitions by liquor vendors, and the state were filed before the SC.
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