Mumbai: The Association of Owners of Hotels, Restaurants, Permit Rooms and Bars (AHAR) has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the orders passed by the Mumbai city and suburban collectors declaring June 4, parliamentary election counting day, as a 'dry day'.
According to the petition, the orders prohibits sale of liquor and declares the emote of the vote counting, June 4, as a dry day, even though the counting of votes is likely to be completed and the results of the elections will be declared by afternoon.
On Tuesday, petitioners’ Advocates Veena Thadani and Vishal Thadani mentioned two petitions for urgent hearing before a vacation bench of Justices Arif Doctor and Somasekhar Sundaresan. Thadani said in April end, they had approached the collectors and urged them to review their decision of announcing the entire day as dry day.
However, they were informed after a few days that since their decision was based on the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and hence there was nothing that they could do about it. As per the ECI directions, sale of liquor is prohibited and dry day is declared 48 hours before voting day and on the day of counting.
The petition, however, claimed where its members pay huge amounts as license fee to the State Government for carrying on their business; there are several illicit liquor manufacturers and bootleggers who have been manufacturing and selling illicit liquor as well as Indian Made Foreign Liquor and Beer in Mumbai.
Whenever, the authorised outlets for sale of liquor are closed, such illegal businesses thrive and bootleggers make huge profits through the sale of illegal and illicit liquor. Thadani urged the court to modify the orders of the collectors and declare that establishments that sell liquor be permitted to open up for business after the declaration of results, instead of shutting them down for the whole day. The HC has asked Thadani to mention the matter of Wednesday for hearing.
