Karnataka - Kochi   

New liquor policy upheld High Court round-up

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday upheld the government’s new liquor policy for 2008-09.

Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan upheld the policy while dismissing a writ petition filed by S. Balachandran and another contractor from Thiruvananthapuram challenging the policy.

They contended that the clause for giving preference to the contractors who had conducted toddy shops in the past three years was discriminatory.

In order to eliminate benamis in the business, the policy made it clear that those who participated in the sale of toddy shops should disclose the source of the money which they were investing.

The contractors were also required to furnish their ration card and income certificate at the time of shop sale.

The licensee’s photograph would be affixed in the licence and it would have to be exhibited in the shop.

The licence fee for toddy shops had also been reduced by 20 per cent.

Referring to the provisions to curb benami trade, the court said, in fact, there were already provisions in the existing law to prevent benamis.

What were required were “not teeth but the will to bite.”

The arguments on a writ petition against the HMT land deal would continue on Wednesday before the Bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice K.M. Joseph.

The arguments of the Advocate General were complete on Tuesday.

The Advocate General contended that the writ petition was motivated. It was not a bona fide public interest writ petition. The counsel for HMT also made his arguments before the court. He contended that the company had every right to alienate the land.

A Bench issued notice to the Central government and other respondents on a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the illegal kidney trade that took place in the State.

The petition was filed by T.P. Nandakumar, Editor, Crime. The petitioner pointed out that no action had been taken against real culprits though the names of persons and hospitals involved in the trade were clearly mentioned in the two reports filed by the senior police officers of the State.

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New liquor policy upheld High Court round-up

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