Mumbai: Bombay high court declined to direct that the restriction on sale of liquor shall apply only on Thursday, the day of civic polls, till the close of voting hours. Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri on Tuesday said Maharashtra Foreign Liquor Rules and Maharashtra Country Liquor Rules prescribes the power to ban sale of liquor on a day prior to polling day, on the date of polling and on the date on which the counting concludes. “This aspect which is in the statute book… cannot be overlooked,” they added, refusing interim relief to Association of Progressive Retail Liquor Vendors. Advocate Suresh Sabrad argued that a two and half days ban would cause irreparable harm to commercial establishments. State’s advocate Priyanka Chavan said as counting of votes on Friday would not take more than two to three hours, the ban will be lifted as soon as results are declared.The association challenged the rules saying they should be reasonable and the ban could be justified on polling day. The judges observed that “this challenge can be gone into only if the Rule…is arbitrary and creates fetters on commercial activity and right to profession and business.” They issued notice to the State.
