[Liquor Stores] Walk-in stores need of the hour: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Thursday sought the views of the Excise Commissioner on how the liquor outlets run by the Kerala Beverages Corporation Limited can be modified to be walk-in stores so as to avoid excessive crowding on roads and footpaths outside such stores (My Hindustan Paints v. S Aananthakrishnan IPS)..Single judge Justice Devan Ramachandran called attention to the fact that to ensure liquor stores are run well and without hindrance to customers or passers-by, the stores that currently operate in the State must not only be upgraded and shifted to better suited areas, they must also be modified to become walk-in stores"I am certain that time has now come for the stakeholders to decide how every shop must now be converted to a walk-in one rather than dispersing liquor by making the customers wait on the footpath," the Court said in its order..The Court emphasised that this is the need of the hour as merely shifting poorly run, dingy stores from one area to another would not solve the larger issues of overcrowding, lack of facilities and safety of citizens in the area, especially women and children. Moreover, people usually raise objections when a liquor store is opened in their locality, the Court observed. In this regard, the judge orally remarked, "You and I would not like a liquor store opening up next to our houses, it's a fact. We should understand why this happens. First of all, we don’t have any walk in shops. People stand in queues outside the shops. It's high time for this situation to change. This is not something that should happen in civilised society. When every liquor shop becomes an ordinary shop, like any other, things will be much better.".During earlier hearings in the matter the Court had asked to the Excise Commissioner to identify liquor stores in the state that need to be shifted to better locations and upgraded with better facilities. Pursuant to the order of the Court, a report had been filed in which 96 shops out of 300 had been identified for the same.Senior Government Pleader (GP) S Kannan informed the Court today that 13 stores have already been shifted and that 33 stores are being upgraded. While more stores have been identified to be shifted, several objections have been received which has hindered the process, he said..Senior Advocate Ranjith Thampan concurred with the GP and said that the Corporation had also received several objections and five petitions have already been filed before the High Court challenging the decision to shift liquor shops to the neighbourhoods of the petitioners in those cases..While Thampan argued that more shops must be opened and online sale should also be permitted, the Court declined to look into those aspects which are confined to the Policy- making realm..However, regarding the objections received by the authorities, the Court remarked that the objections are understandable considering the fact that to the ordinary citizen, it would only seem like one poorly run shop is being shifted from one place to another which doesn't actually solve the problem..Justice Ramachandran also remarked that minutes away from the High Court, there is a liquor store that has persons queuing outside it. Regardless of whether customers queue up in a disciplined manner, "women and children would not feel safe walking there", the judge said. The Court had also received letters from concerned women regarding liquor stores in the areas that they need to pass by.Therefore, it directed the Excise Commissioner to file a statement regarding the possibility of converting liquor outlets into walk-in stores..Before the hearing concluding, Justice Ramachandran remarked in a lighter vein, "I'm happy to see that there is no poverty when people are lining up in front of liquor stores. It is perhaps the only place where there is an egalitarian attitude; nobody wants subsidies, nobody demands reservations. Everyone obediently lines up for liquor without complaining.".The matter will be taken up next on November 9,2021