In a major blow to the spirit of December 31 partygoers in Puducherry, the Madras High Court has ordered a ban on the sale of liquor from 10 PM to 1 AM on the new year night. The High Court imposed this temporary ban on alcoholic beverages due to the scare of the omicron variant of Coronavirus.
A holiday special division bench consisting of justices S Vaidyanathan and D Bharatha Chakravarthy issued the interim orders on a PIL that had sought a ban on New Year celebrations in the Union Territory. The bench ruled that there shouldn’t be any sale of alcohol during the said time window in Bars, Bars attached restaurants/ hotels or any other places for public consumption.
The High Court stated that generally such orders are not passed, especially in a tourist destination like Puducherry, but the fact that two cases of omicron has been reported from the UT is concerning enough to order a complete ban on liquor during the peak of the new year parties. The court issued the order despite the fact that both patients of omicron variant Covid-19 have already recovered.
Apart from the liquor ban, the court also ordered that any person who has not taken two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine should not be allowed in public places after 7 PM on 31st December. The court said that if officials and police demand vaccine certificates from people in public, the same must be produced. The bench further ordered the govt to ensure that celebrities are not allowed to participate in functions in public places.
While the Puducherry govt made desperate pleas to the court to allow celebrations and sale of liquor till 12.30, the court didn’t agree. Govt counsel D Mala said that the ban on liquors sale and restrictions on celebrations would badly affect the revenue of the government, adding that the govt had prepared a comprehensive plan for ensuring COVID norms are adhered to in a strict manner. She requested for exemption till 12.30 am saying that tourists including foreigners have already arrived for the new year parties.
However, the court said that the ban is only for three hours and it will not affect revenue.
The court also noted that the Puducherry Government has already decided to impose a curfew in Puducherry from 1 AM to 5 AM on 1st January 2022, and asked the citizens to show responsibility, cooperate with the government and prevent the spread of pandemic.
