[Liquor Stores] Received 50 letters from concerned women: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Thursday minced no words in informing the Excise Commissioner that it would hold him responsible for any complaints arising out of lapses in ensuring liquor stores are run in compliance with the directions of the Court (My Hindustan Paints v. S Aananthakrishnan IPS).Single-judge Justice Devan Ramachandran, at the outset of the hearing today, brought up a letter he had received from a woman who was concerned about the plan by authorities to shift a liquor shop in her neighbourhood to a more crowded location."I have received a letter from a lady from Ramamangalam dated September 7. According to her, a liquor store in town has been included in the list of stores that are to be shifted. However, she says that, disregarding the Court's order, the store is being shifted nearby and closer to the main road, next to a Canara Bank," the judge said.He said that it was also mentioned in the letter that if the liquor store is shifted to a crowded place which currently does not have enough space to even park cars, the situation would be unsafe for women who need to pass through the area regularly..When Senior Government Pleader (GP) S Kannan remarked that the Excise Commissioner would look into it but that it might not be possible to entertain every letter received, Justice Ramachandran stated that this is only one of the nearly 50 similar letters that he received on the issue so far. The Court made it clear that the letter, which it found to be of merit, has been incorporated into the case file. .When the GP contented that no person has filed an application with the Government or the Excise Commissioner raising an issue with the location of liquor stores, the Court reminded him that it is often difficult for the ordinary citizen to openly take up such matters with the authorities. "Many of these people are scared. It's not easy to do something like this in our country. This country is not like you might think it is. People are afraid. Especially women like the lady who wrote to me are afraid to come out with this. They usually don't disclose their identity when they approach us also. In this letter, she has said why she is afraid to approach directly too. She's an ordinary woman living in that neighbourhood, already afraid of stepping out of the house. If something happens to her, she might not be able to retain the services of a lawyer," he remarked. He also directed the Counsels to not disclose the identity of the woman . .The Court, therefore, directed the Excise commissioner to file a report as to the steps taken to ensure that the functioning of liquor shops are in compliance with the Court's previous orders.The Court had earlier ordered that all liquor outlets in the State must be run in a dignified manner. Any store found wanting of adequate facilities to cater to customers or to avoid nuisance to the general public should be shifted to better suited locations or upgraded with better facilities, the Court had directed.The Court on Thursday, placed full responsibility on the Excise Commissioner to ensure compliance with those previous directions."I notify the Commissioner of Excise , that the full responsibility to ensure compliance with directions in the judgement is on him as he is the statutory authority," the order stated..The Court was hearing a contempt of court case that arose from a petition concerning badly run liquor stores located in areas that caused inconvenience to the consumers and to the general public as well. During an earlier hearing, the State government had informed the High Court that out of over 300 foreign liquor outlets run by Kerala, 96 had been identified by a special audit team constituted by the Excise Commissioner as being situated in unsuitable locations and without basic adequate facilities.Senior Advocate Ranjith Thampan, instructed by Advocate P Navin, appeared on behalf of the Beverages Corporation and submitted that instructions have been given to relocate 32 shops while 57 others are to be upgraded and given additional facilities.In this regard, the Court stated, "I do not propose to pass orders today because the various reports on record indicate the Commissioner of Excise is in the process of re-hauling various shops in the state"..Thampan also submitted that the Court must instruct the government to ensure that the number of outlets are increased so as to cater to high demand.However, the Court declined to issue any orders to that end as it reiterated that it is for the Excise Commissioner and the Government of Kerala to take necessary action if they are so interested..As the hearing drew to a close, the Court lamented that it has taken over four years for the State to initiate steps to implement the Court's judgment..The matter will be taken up after a month by which time the Excise Commissioner is expected to file a report on the progress made in shifting and upgrading liquor stores in the State.