Madras HC allows reopening of TASMAC liquor shops from May 7, Chennai to remain dry

New Delhi: The Madras High Court on Wednesday (May 6, 2020) refused to stay the decision of Tamil Nadu government’s to re-open state-run TASMAC liquor outlets which are likely to re-open from Thursday. The decision of the High Court is applicable for the whole state except for the shops falling under the Chennai City Police limits.

The special division bench directed the Government to ensure that an individual is permitted to buy only one 750ml bottle of liquor, per day, if the payment is made in cash. 

The court has also directed the State to add the option of online payment to prevent crowding at liquor outlets. If the payment is made online the time would be intimated and an individual would be able to get two bottles. Strict implementation of social distancing and other precautions have also been instructed. 

The bench passed the order after the state government ruled out the means of liquor via online mode. 

The Court will monitor the functioning of shops and if any violation is reported, based on enquiry the TASMAC shops will be directed to be closed by the Court. 

The petitioners had sought to quash the Government Order issued on Monday, which announced that TASMAC liquor outlets would be reopened from May 7th.  The plea was on the grounds that liquor outlets are crowded even on normal days and that expecting social distancing and precautions at this time was not practical.

The shops would function between 10 am and 5 pm and the government stated that a distance of 6 feet should be maintained between customers and that additional staff would also be deployed at the stores to ensure crowd control.

However, while tipplers in the rest of the state can get their hands on their drink starting Thursday, the government has said that the reopening of shops falling under Greater Chennai Police Limits would be deferred and dates would be announced later. This revision came after severe backlash over how the Capital city, Chennai has the maximum Covid-19 cases and the possible worsening of the situation due to overcrowding at liquor shops.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 771 new COVID-19 cases and now has 4,829 cases, of which 3,275 are active. The number of people who died due to the virus in the state surged to 35 on Wednesday.

The reason behind the liquor outlets being shut in Chennai is because of the rising number of cases in the capital city. Chennai has a total of 2,328 coronavirus cases.