Madras high court orders closure of Tasmac liquor shops in Tamil Nadu, permits online sale and home delivery
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Madras high court orders closure of Tasmac liquor shops in Tamil Nadu, permits online sale and home delivery
Sureshkumar | TNN | Updated: May 8, 2020, 19:18 IST
TNN
Liquor is being sold at a shop in Madurai. Photo by K Antony Xavier
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CHENNAI: In an embarrassment to the
Tamil Nadu government, the
Madras high court on Friday ordered closure of
Tasmac liquor shops in the state till the
lockdown is lifted. However, the court permitted the sale through online and
home delivery modes.
A special division bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana passed the interim order in view of the blatant violation of the conditions imposed by the court to permit reopening of Tasmac shops from May 7.
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The court passed the order on a batch of pleas moved by various petitioners, including actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam, alleging violation of all the conditions imposed by the court, particularly strict implementation of social distancing in such shops.
On May 4, the Tamil Nadu government passed an order (GO) announcing that Tasmac
liquor shops would reopen on May 7. The shops would function between 10am and 5pm. The order added that strict social distancing norms would be implemented and additional staff would be deputed to each shop to control crowd.
Tipplers waiting to buy liquor near Chennai on Thursday (Photo by B A Raju)
Aggrieved, petitioners, including lawyers, approached the court challenging the GO. On May 6, the court refused to stay the reopening but imposed a series of conditions to permit liquor sale during lockdown.
The court also directed the government to implement rationing by permitting one person to purchase only one bottle of liquor (750 ml) per day if payment is made by cash.
