The Supreme Court removed the stay on Chandigarh liquor contracts.
The ban on keeping liquor contracts closed from 1 to 3 April in Chandigarh has been lifted. The Supreme Court, while giving the verdict in this case, has abolished the stay imposed by the High Court on contracts. Punjab and Haryana High Court issued orders for 3 days in Chandigarh
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This ban was imposed due to petitions filed on the tender process of liquor contracts. But the Supreme Court rejected this decision of the High Court. The Supreme Court said that the High Court did not show any clear basis for the closure of the contracts, due to which the stay is removed. The case will be heard on 3 April in the High Court.
Liquor contract Chandigarh. (File photo)
Controversy over allotment of liquor contracts Every year on 1 April, liquor contracts are allotted to new contractors in Chandigarh. This time a controversy arose over the allotment of contracts. Many traders filed a petition in the High Court alleging that 91 out of 97 contracts in Chandigarh have been given to the same group.
Hearing this petition, the High Court had ordered the closure of liquor contracts in Chandigarh till April 3 and maintain the status quo. The next hearing of the case will be held on 4 April, after which further decision will be taken.
Allegations of disturbances in tender process The petitioners say the tender process was completely flawed. Under the policy, no person, firm or company was allowed to get more than 10 shops to prevent monopoly. But the administration, ignoring the rule, allowed some persons to get shops through their family, colleagues and employees, causing them unusual control over liquor trade.
The petitioners also said that there was a lack of transparency in the entire tender process and was not conducted in a fair manner. The basic objective of the excise policy was to ensure proper distribution of liquor shops and to stop dominance of any one group, but the tender process clearly saw disturbances.