Welcome softening of SC liquor order

The Supreme Court has done well to soften the impact of its order passed last December which banned the functioning of liquor vends within 500 metres of highways. The court’s intention was to curb drunken driving on highways. But it is widely realised that it was an ill-conceived idea which was difficult to implement. It also had many negative consequences when it was sought to be implemented. The court has perhaps taken this into account now. It first amended its order by exempting small states from its purview and reducing the distance from 500 metres to 220 metres in some small towns. Now it has accepted and legitimised a way many states had found to circumvent the order by denotifying national highways along certain stretches, though it had frowned on this once. This would ease the difficulties caused by the order to some extent.

The court dismissed a petition challenging the denotification by the Chandigarh administration of highways at points where they pass through the city. This would leave the liquor shops, restaurants and bars located in those places outside the purview of the order. The relaxation of the order is applicable to other cities and towns in the country. Some other states had also denotified highways where they passed through urban centres. The Karnataka government had sought denotification of over 700 km of national highways and about 1,500 km of state highways. Six national highways pass through Bengaluru city and the closure of all liquor vends, hotels and bars in their vicinity would have created serious problems. Other states also faced the same problems. The court said that it stuck to its original order and would not modify it, but would not object to reclassification of roads as such. It also observed that traffic would be slow within city limits and so the aim of its order would not in any case be defeated.

The court’s lenient view would bring relief to the governments and civic bodies which stood to lose a major source of revenue with the strict implementation of the order. Hospitality and tourism industries would have been badly affected and job losses would have been considerable. There would not be any corresponding gains. The idea that the absence of liquor vends near highways would reduce drunken driving and the number of road accidents is not correct. Campaigns and deterrent measures against drunken driving, certain punishment in cases of violation of laws, better policing of highways and improvement of their condition will reduce the number of accidents. It is unrealistic to think that the shutting down of liquor vends on highways would achieve that result.