New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear a batch of petitions seeking modification of its December 2016 order banning liquor shops within 500 metres of state and national highways across the country.


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A bench, comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, is expected to hear the matter. 


On Tuesday, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the apex court judgement, ordering the closure of liquor vends alongside highways, will come into effect from April 1 and this leads to a situation where an urgent hearing is needed.


The apex court, in its December 15, 2016, judgement, ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways across the country and had made clear that licences of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31 next year.


The verdict had come on a PIL alleging that nearly 1.42 lakh people died per year in road mishaps and that the drunken driving is a major contributor.


It had also directed that all signages indicating the presence of liquor vends will be prohibited along national and state highways.


States like Kerala, Punjab, and Telangana have approached the SC seeking modification of the order.


On March 23, the Tamil Nadu government had also moved the top court to extend the time for relocation of retail liquor shops along the highways till the expiry of their licence period i.e. up to November 28, 2017.


On January 18, the All Assam Indian Made Foreign Liquors Retailers' Association had approached the apex court seeking modification of the judgement, saying it virtually banned liquor shops in the state as the definition of state highways in the local statute included all roads.


(With PTI inputs)