Tamil Nadu Moves SC After Madras HC Orders Liquor Shops to Shut

The Madras HC order came after social distancing guidelines went for a toss in the state since reopening of shops.

Image for representational purpose.

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Tamil Nadu on Saturday, 9 May moved the apex court, challenging a Madras High Court order asking for the closure of liquor stores for violating social distancing norms. The case is likely to be heard on Monday, 11 May.

The Madras High Court on Friday, 8 May, had ordered the closure of all state-run TASMAC liquor shops in Tamil Nadu and permitted only online sale of liquor.

The order comes after social distancing guidelines went for a toss in the state when the government ordered reopening of shops, except in Chennai. Serpentine queues of tipplers braving the sun were seen outside liquor outlets in several places in Tamil Nadu on Thursday morning.

As a result, the maximum retail price (MRP) of an ordinary variety of 180 ml bottle will go up by Rs 10 and that of medium and premium varieties of IMFL will increase by Rs 20 per 180 ml bottle.

Liquor retail in Tamil Nadu is a state monopoly run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation or popularly known as TASMAC.

Major opposition parties in the state had strongly criticised the government’s decision to open the liquor outlets.

The leader of the opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly and DMK President MK Stalin, wearing black shirt and trousers, holding a black flag in one hand and a placard on the other, stood outside his residence protesting against the government's decision to reopen the liquor shops.

Similarly MDMK leader Vaiko wore a black shirt and shouted slogans against the government's decision to open the liquor shops.

In Coimbatore district, a group of women gathered outside a liquor shop and demanded its closure.

There are over 5,300 Tasmac liquor outlets in the state contributing about Rs 30,000 crore of tax revenue to the state exchequer.

The revenue from the liquor bottle sales was bottled up during the lockdown period.

The Tamil Nadu government said that the decision was taken in order to control the movement of people in the border areas with Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as liquor shops have been opened there.