Only five-star hotel bars can serve liquor in Kerala

Kerala government had argued that the decision taken by the state not to renew licenses was a policy decision.

The government wants to make the southern state free from alcohol in the next 10 years to “protect youth from destroying their lives”.

Here too, 10 percent of these shops would be closed down every October, the new policy statement says. More than 300 bars will have to shut down because of this policy. Reacting to the verdict, Chandy said it was a “well thought out policy and not one, which was implemented in a hurry as alleged by the opposition”, while Kerala PCC President V M Sudheeran described the judgement as “historical”.

The only relief for bar owners would be to exert pressure on the government to close down state-owned liquor retail outlets operating near their bars now converted into beer parlous. Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan said the new revelations may even lead to the downfall of the UDF. The apex court again ruled in favour of the government.

The bar owners said they would examine other legal options to save the industry from total collapse.

The verdict was reserved on August 27 after long arguments spread over many days wherein the Kerala government, defending its policy, had said that those ousted from the business had no fundamental right to continue selling liquor at their bars. The high court by its March 31 order had upheld the policy, terming drinking at bar a luxury.

The verdict is considered as a big relief for the UDF government, which is reeling under bar bribery charges.

However, the aggrieved bar hotel owners threatened to expose the ministers who had allegedly pocketed bribe from them. Bar owners had leaked their conversations dropping enough hints about the payments made to Congress Ministers K Babu, Ramesh Chennithala and V S Sivakumar.

This is considered significant since the state has been registering an annual growth of 12 per cent to 67 per cent for the last 30 years.