Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) Tuesday directed State government to file a counter affidavit against a liquor shop.
An application was filed by advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom against a liquor shop running at Batwara, Sonwar.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey treated the application as petition and allotted four week time to State Counsel Advocate BA Dar to file a response.
Advocate Qayoom mentioned in the application that the liquor shop running at Batwara has many social implications.
The application reads, the liquor shop is in the vicinity of a GB Pant hospital and Central University, Kashmir and there are reports that lot of young people have fallen into the liquor trap resulting in many anti-social activities.
He submitted that the main cause of accidents on highways has been reportedly to be the liquor shop.
The court remarked that liquor consumption by youth has to be stopped by government.
The court further stressed on state government that if any liquor shop is running without authorization, it has to be closed down.
Supreme Court (SC) in its orders had banned sale of liquor within 500 meters of highway across the country.
It was cleared by Apex Court that the ban extends not just to retail liquor outlets but also to pubs, bars and restaurants located on highways.
The aim of SC was to end drunken driving, one of the major reasons of the increasing accidents.
HC was informed that the Batwara liquor shop is situated at National Highway.
In view of SC orders, the HC had directed authorities to comply with the orders of the Apex Court.
Earlier, HC had ordered that the action initiated by the government against the liquor shops located along the highways be strictly implemented.
It had ordered liquor shops to operate till December 2015 and asked that any person interested in closing a liquor shop shall come to court for their closure.
HC grants govt 4 week time to file response in Batwara liquor shop case
