HC expresses displeasure over lack of compliance of order on liquor shop near Lucknow hospital

Lucknow, Dec 12 (PTI) The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has expressed serious displeasure over the issuance of licence to a liquor shop near Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute, a major hospital here and said authorities are not acting as per orders of the court.

A bench of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Rajiv Bharti said it was surprised by police authorities' failure to comply with its previous order.

"We are surprised to see that the authorities are not acting on the orders passed by this court and are required to be held in contempt, and only thereafter, they succumb to complying with the orders passed by this Court.This kind of laissez-faire attitude cannot be countenanced by us," the bench said.

It said the court will be forced to take severe measures against the authorities if they fail to comply with the court order.

The bench passed the order on a petition filed by locals, Dinesh Yadav and others who said that they live in the colony opposite the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute. Another hospital is also located nearby, they pointed out.

The excise department has granted a liquor shop licence to Mitralekha Verma.

The petitioners alleged that "a constant gathering of rowdy and drunkards" outside the liquor shop creates significant inconvenience for residents.

Senior advocate Gaurav Mehrotra, representing the petitioners, argued that according to the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in the case of State of Uttar Pradesh vs. Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, a liquor shop licence cannot be granted within a 100-metre radius of a hospital, temple, or residential colony.

However, in this case, the excise department has granted license to the liquor shop within 53 metres of a hospital, according to the petitioners.

They also alleged that people drinking openly outside the liquor shop are making life difficult for those living nearby.

In the last hearing, the court had ordered the immediate deployment of police forces at the spot and also appointed an advocate commissioner to determine the distance between the liquor shop and the hospital In compliance with the order, the advocate commissioner submitted his report. The petitioner, however, alleged that despite the court's order, the police were not taking any concrete action against those drinking outside the liquor shop.

The court has fixed the next hearing in the case on January 27. PTI COR KIS SKY SKY