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The | Chennai |
Updated: May 8, 2020 8:39:28 pm
Long lines were seen as Tasmac liquor stores on Thursday, May 7, after the Tamil Nadu government opened retail liquor stores across the state.
The Madras Superior Court on Friday ordered the closure of government-run liquor stores in the state until the closure is lifted. The court said the government can use online and home delivery models to sell liquor during the closing period.
A special bank in the division of Judge Vineet Kothari and Judge Pushpa Sathyanarayana approved the provisional order on a batch of petitions seeking the closure of liquor stores alleging violation of all conditions imposed by the court to allow the reopening of Tasmac stores from May 7.
One of the petitioners was the political actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).
On May 4, the state government approved a formal order to open liquor stores from May 7 to fight against the deepening of the economic crisis. The order said the stores would operate between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. under strict rules of social distancing. The government had also promised to deploy additional personnel to manage the crowd.
Also read | Tamil Nadu now tests more people than Maharashtra
Even when the court heard petitions on May 6, the judges refused to suspend the government’s decision and imposed a series of conditions to allow the sale of spirits during the shutdown. The rules insisted by the court included rationing by allowing a person to buy only one bottle of liquor (750 ml) per day if payment is made in cash.
On Thursday, the government recorded a sale of around 20 lakh liters of liquor worth Rs 172 crore.
Meanwhile, government sources said he will challenge the order of the Superior Court before the Supreme Court.
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