Two senior citizens have earned the wrath of Delhi High Court for filing a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought permission for restaurants and bars in the city to serve liquor 24x7.
Calling the petition meritless, the HC said that PIL is being misused. Stressing the need to curb it, the court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the petitioners. ‘‘It is shocking that such petitions are being filed in the name of public interest. PIL was made for a different purpose,’’ a bench comprising chief justice A P Shah and Justice Manmohan said.
Petitioners Shirish Gupta and Jagdish Lal had filed the petition through their advocate Shikha Singh seeking an amendment to the Delhi Police Act, which would have allowed bars to serve liquor 24X7. ‘‘The government has allowed eateries to remain open till 1am but the state excise department has issued licence to only bars and restaurants located within 5-star hotels to serve liquor 24 hours.’’
The petition also said that globalisation and increasing influence of western culture are promoting the culture of night life and Indians are now not averse to going to pubs and bars for socializing and unwinding themselves.
Source:- The Times of India 10 Sep. 09 Page No.6 Delhi
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