5 days ago
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The Madras High Court connected Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by 2 individuals challenging a determination taken by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay connected May 12, 2026 to adjacent down 717 Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) retail liquor shops located wrong a region of 500 metres from acquisition institutions, places of worship and autobus stops.
Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed that it was a “good decision” and refused to interfere with it astatine the lawsuit of 2 landlords who had fixed their properties connected lease for moving 2 of those shops. The justice agreed with Advocate General Vijay Narayan that the argumentation determination taken by the authorities could not beryllium questioned by the landlords by mode of a writ petition.
The justice besides said, the determination was successful consonance with the State’s law work to marque an endeavour towards implicit prohibition. He further recorded the submission made by Additional Advocate General T. Gowthaman, representing TASMAC, that the deposits made by the petitioners, earlier leasing retired their properties during the DMK regime, would beryllium refunded to them.
P. Saravanan (53) and C. Mathiarasan (63) of Adyar successful Chennai had filed the associated writ petition claiming to person leased retired their properties for moving 2 retail liquor shops astatine R.A. Puram and Velachery successful Chennai. The petitioners claimed that the leases were periodically renewed and TASMAC was paying them monthly rent but each of it had abruptly travel to a grinding halt due to the fact that of the Chief Minister’s announcement.
The petitioners complained that nary authorities bid had been issued with respect to the closure of the 717 shops but for a property merchandise issued connected May 12, 2026. They besides wondered however the shops located wrong a region of 500 metres could beryllium closed erstwhile the statutory rules prescribe a overmuch lesser prohibitory region of 50 metres successful corporations and municipalities and 100 metres successful different places.
They brought it to the announcement of the tribunal that the State authorities had framed the Tamil Nadu Liquor Retail Vending (in Shops and Bars) Rules, 2003 by exercising the powerfulness conferred connected it nether the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act of 1937. Rule 8 states that nary liquor store shall beryllium established successful corporations and municipalities wrong a region of 50 metres from places of worship oregon acquisition institutions.
Similarly, the regularisation prescribes a region of 100 metres successful different places and makes it wide that the region regularisation would not use if immoderate spot of worship oregon acquisition instauration comes into beingness consequent to the constitution of a liquor shop. However, the incumbent Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam authorities had arbitrarily widened the region criteria to 500 metres, the petitioners complained.
During the people of arguments, advocator M.T. Arunan intervened and told the tribunal that helium had filed a writ petition successful 2025 to adjacent down the liquor store successful R.A. Puram but the High Court had refused to walk immoderate specified bid since it was wrong the region prescribed by the rules. The Supreme Court excessively had dismissed an entreaty against that bid but the caller authorities had voluntarily travel guardant to adjacent down the shop, helium said.
