Bar owners take on government, point out discrimination
The State was justifying its abkari policy
Kochi: Bar owners in the State on Wednesday countered the affidavit filed by the State Government on pleas challenging the controversial liquor policy. The argument of the State that five star hotels had been permitted to continue so as to promote the tourism sector, was unsustainable, they submitted before the Kerala High Court.
The State was justifying its abkari policy. The bar owners said the Ministry of Tourism had made it clear that bar licence was not mandatory for hotels in the five-star category and above, unless the local law prohibited the same.
The petitioners said the majority of tourists could not afford the luxury of five star and five star deluxe hotels. The State was trying to favour a privileged class of businessmen and international business groups.
If the State was committed to bringing down the availability of liquor, it ought to close 60 per cent of the retail outlets owned by Government- controlled corporations before cancelling the remaining FL-3 licence, the bar owners argued.
The Kerala High Court has asked the State Government to move the appropriate magistrate court if it wants to pursue the issue of alleged malpractice in the selection of sub-inspectors to the police department.
The Director General of Police filed the plea seeking permission for conducting further investigation into the case by a special team headed by an officer not below the rank of IG of police.
The police filed an impleading petition before the High Court on a plea filed by Vinod Kumar of Payyannur and two others challenging the recruitment to sub-inspector of police (trainee) posts in 2010.
The petition was filed after the vigilance wing of the PSC found malpractices in the written test conducted at various centres in Kerala. The police registered a case at Ervaipuram police station based on a complaint alleging criminal conspiracy, malpractice and corruption in the selection process right from 2002 onwards.