Liquor policy: Punjab seeks adjournment of hearing

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, July 29

The Punjab government on Friday sought an adjournment of the hearing slated for August 2 on the state’s liquor licensing policy, quashed partly by the state high court on June 9.

Appearing for the state, its standing counsel JS Chhabra pleaded with a Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra to defer the hearing by a week as Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi would have to argue before a nine-judge Bench on August 2 in a case on entry tax filed by Haryana and other states.

The Bench, however, said it would consider the adjournment plea only when the case was called out for hearing. The state has challenged the high court verdict quashing the policy pertaining to issue of L-1A license. The high court had noted that the policy did not provide for a level-playing field to all applicants in a transparent and objective manner.

At the last hearing on August 25, the Punjab government had failed to get any relief in the form of a stay order. The Bench said there was no need for this as it would hold the final hearing next week. 

Senior advocate Mohan Jain, who appeared for Amarjit Singh Sidhu on whose petition the high court had struck down the provision for issue of L-1A license, questioned the logic behind allowing each liquor manufacturing company or distillery to issue consent letter to just one person, company, firm or organisation for issuance of L-1A licence. This would result in monopoly, he had pleaded.