HC serves notices to Madhya Pradesh government

The Madhya Pradesh High Court today served notices to the state government and the Excise Commissioner, based on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking quashing of the excise policy for the next fiscal on the ground that it allegedly violated the MP Excise Act.
The High Court also sought an action taken report (ATR) from the authorities over representations made to them by the petitioner alleging that spurious liquor is being sold across the state.
Under the new policy, there is no check on opening liquor shops at "objectionable" places, the PIL said.
It said that the MP government's excise policy is against the directive principles of state policy in the Constitution since it promotes the sale and consumption of liquor instead of discouraging it.

Furthermore, the PIL said that the new excise policy was framed in the absence of an advisory committee which is supposed to have a mandatory role in any such decision.
Petitioner Nagrik Upbhokta Margdarshak Manch (NUMM) president P G Najpandey informed the court that the MP state government notified its new policy on January 21 which enabled country-made liquor and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) to be sold under a single roof across the state.

He told the court that he had sent representations to the authorities about the sale of spurious liquor in the past but no action was taken.

He sought a direction from the court to check the sale of spurious liquor and its illegal manufacture allegedly being undertaken by a cartel.
A division bench of High Court, comprising Chief Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice R S Jha,. Sought an ATR from respondents over the petitioner's representations by February 27 and fixed March 9 as the next date of hearing.