High Court seeks response after plea filed against liquor shop by Dalgate residents.

The J&K High Court is seeking a response from the government indicating due adherence to the law with regard to allowing liquor shop at Dalgate, Srinagar, within a period of one week.

In a plea seeking closure and shifting of liquor shop from Dalgate, Srinagar to some other place, a bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey directed the government authorities to file a response to the claims of the petitioners for not adhering to the rules and laws while allowing sale of liquor in Dalgate area of Srinagar.

The plea filed by inhabitants of Gagribal, Dalgate, Srinagar has questioned the action of the government authorities for allowing sale of liquor in the residential area close to the prayer place and a school building which is stated to be prohibited in terms of the law governing the subject.It alleges that the District Magistrate, Srinagar, has not adhered to the procedure, as established in terms of the Jammu & Kashmir Liquor Licence and Sale Rules, in granting no objection certificate.

Petitioners are seeking the implementation of judgment of Supreme court qua the establishment of liquor vend in the urban areas which comes within the municipality especially when grave public resentment is on the face of the issue and the setting up of the liquor vend has termed to be a public nuisance. 

The counsel for the petitioner, Zubair Ahmad, submitted that the object of seeking opinion of the residents of the area is writ large as the sale of liquor in a residential area that too close to the vicinity of school and a prayer place is not only against the law and the procedure established but also against the rights of the residents who do not want to pollute the area.

The petitioners have sought direction to respondents to close and shift the proposed liquor vend shop from Dalgate, Boulevard, Srinagar to some other place.

The court has decided the matter for hearing on August, 27, 2021.