Bombay HC allows some Pune clubs near highways to serve liquor

The Bombay high court, in an interim order on Tuesday, permitted three clubs and a store in Pune to resume operations, after the Supreme Court order banning the sale of liquor along highways shut them down.

The court also directed the state government and the Pune administration to submit details, on the basis of which they had identified establishments that needed to be shut down.

The order came after these establishments alleged that they had been sealed although they were not located within 500m along state or national highways.

The petitioners, the Residency club, the Poona club, the Ladies club, and Dorabjee and Co.(the store) said that the excise department notice issued on May 18 this year, asking them to close down, was erroneous.They said that they were located along Bund road in Pune city, which wasn’t a notified national or state highway.

The government pleader, however, said that Bund road was a state highway and the petitioners were located about 101m from it.

The court, however, directed the state to produce an “official document or proof” to support its statement.

The bench noted that some other restaurants from Pune had also approached the court last month challenging the excise department notice on similar grounds. It has sought an explanation from the state and the Pune administration by June 22, this year.

In the meanwhile, it directed that the four establishments that approached court on Monday be allowed to operate.