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The Delhi High Court today issued notice in a plea filed by Delhi Liquor Trader Association seeking extension of license period of private liquor retailers from September 30 till November 11, 2021.

The division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Amit Bansal listed the matter for next hearing on September 24.

The application has been filed in the plea challenging the New Excise Policy of the Delhi Government. The petitioners have submitted that during the pendency of the Petition, the Delhi Government had issued an order dated September 10,  regarding the extension/ renewal of retail licenses till 16.11.2021 of Licenses in category L-6, L-6FG and L-6FE but the category of the Applicants/ Petitioners have not been considered by the office of the Government.

However, the Government has extended the period of license of other similar retailers in Delhi which are being operated by the Govt. corporations.

It has further been submitted that the petitioners have been asked to pay all outstanding government dues before September 30. Further, they have been asked to liquidate the stock as the license of the Applicants will not be extended/renewed for any further period beyond September 30.

The petitioners have submitted that the The notice of the Government is “highly discriminatory, biased and arbitrary in nature as the notice is only applicable on the categories of L-7IL-l 0 exclusively and not on other categories.The aforesaid notice is not in parity with the other retailers and is in violation of Art. 14 of the Constitution of India.” 

It has been submitted that “in case the discrimination and disparity is not removed, it will amount to grave depravity and miscarriage of justice on the part of the office of the Respondent.”

It has been argued that the decision of the Government not to allow license extension/renewal of around 260 private liquor vends in Delhi which contributes approximately 60% of the total revenue, will result in blistering shortage during transition period of nearly 1.5 months as only the vends falling in the category of L-6 would remain functional and the same cannot meet out the demands therefore, the consumers would face acute hardships and it would further encourage illegal hoarding, black marketing, trading of illegal and spurious liquor which is not allowed in the eyes of law.

Further the impugned order of not renewing the license for the Private Shops would lead to substantial loss of excise revenue to the NCT of Delhi. It is submitted that the excise revenue belongs to the people of the NCT of Delhi and any decision which leads to loss of excise revenue ought to be considered unreasonable and is a loss to the public at large in the state.

Case Title: Delhi Liquor Traders Association vs GNCTD