Doubting that most of the recreation clubs in the district were functioning as unauthorised liquor sales outlets in the guise of serving only to their members, the Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday directed the Madurai Collector to submit by August 2 the list of such clubs functioning in the district, the number of members in each of those clubs and the quantity of liquor supplied to them in the last one year.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K. Sasidharan and G.R. Swaminathan passed the interim order on a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate I. Mohammed Razvi of Tahsildar Nagar here.
Though the petitioner had filed the case only against Pooncholai Recreational Club situated close to a national highway near Pandikoil here, the Bench expanded the scope of the case and sought details of all other clubs too.
The judges wanted to test whether the quantity of liquor supplied to the clubs in the last one year matches with the average quantity that they would have required depending upon the number of members enrolled in each of those clubs. In his affidavit, Mr. Razvi had alleged that the club near Pandikoil was in the habit of selling liquor even to non-members beyond midnight and that was a cause of nuisance as well as spurt in crimes in the locality.
Claiming that the proprietor of the club owns as many as 42 clubs in various districts and that he enjoyed clout among political circles, the petitioner said that he lodged a complaint with the Collector on June 2 with regard to illegal sale of liquor in the club.
“After receiving the complaint, the first respondent (Collector) orally directed the third respondent to close his shop,” the petitioner said and claimed that it remained closed only for a day before commencing business as usual.