Under assault over new liquor policy, apprehensions ‘fanciful’: Delhi govt to HC

THE DELHI government on Thursday said that many of the apprehensions against its new excise policy were “fanciful” and submitted before the Delhi High Court that a full-scale assault has been launched against it by filing writ petitions every day against the new policy.

“We are plugging the leaks, minimising corruption in this, and also giving enough and fair competition,” Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, submitted before the bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh.

“This is nothing but an attempt by people who are well versed in the art of liquor trade to tell your lordships that ‘we are innocent’…,” Singhvi continued.

A number of petitions have been filed challenging the Excise Policy 2021-22 since it was made public by the government. Three of the petitions were listed on Thursday and notice was issued to the government in two of them.

In the petition filed by Ashiana Towers & Promoters Limited and Rajiv Motors Private Limited through advocate Sanyam Khetarpal, it was argued on Thursday that the policy has been brought into force to create a monopoly of big traders and numerous small traders would be deprived of their livelihood. The court issued notice to the state for August 9 in the case.

The court on Thursday also issued notice to the Delhi government in another petition challenging the eligibility for obtaining L-1 licences. “The condition of minimum 5 years’ experience has been tailor made by the respondents with malafide intentions and ulterior motives to give undue benefit to some entities,” reads the plea.

Meanwhile, West Delhi BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh also approached the court against the rule relating to grant of licences for home delivery of domestic and foreign liquor. The MP, in the petition, has argued that the rule was in complete disregard of Article 47 of the Constitution that casts a duty on the State “to improve public health by inter alia reducing consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs”.

The court on Thursday declined to issue any notice in the case after it found that the Aam Aadmi Party has been made a respondent. It adjourned the case to August and asked the petitioner to amend the memo of parties in the petition.