Liquor ban: Kerala High Court favours two Kochi hotels

KOCHI: The High Court has directed the state government to renew FL 11 licence to Renai Cochin and Karthika Regency, two hotels  located at Palarivattom in Kochi.    The order was issued on Thursday on a petition filed by Krishnadas Polakulath, the owner of the hotels,  seeking a directive  for renewal of the licence on the ground that the two hotel premises are not on the side of the state highway as notified under section 3 of the Kerala Highway Protection Act 1999 or a national highway.  

The court had earlier asked the government to renew the licence provisionally if the road in front of the hotel is neither notified as a state highway nor a national highway. The petitioner submitted that licence was not renewed despite the interim order. According to the petitioner, the hotel is on the side of the Aluva-Ernakulam city road.