Petition filed in High Court seeking revocation of liquor ban on weekend

Mysore/Mysuru: The sale of liquor will be prohibited in the Mysuru district for five days in the first week of June due to the Lok Sabha Elections’ result day and the State Legislative Council Elections.

Six members will be elected to the Legislative Council from as many Constituencies. While only graduates are allowed to vote in Graduate Constituencies, teachers can vote in Teachers’ Constituencies.

Liquor sales will be prohibited from June 1 (today) at 4 pm to June 4 due to voting for the Karnataka Legislative Council Elections and the announcement of results for the Lok Sabha Polls on June 4. It will be a dry day on June 6 as well when the counting of votes will happen for the Legislative Council Elections.

Excise Department Deputy Commissioner Nagarajappa told Star of Mysore that all liquor stores, wine shops, bars, hotels, restaurants and any other private place serving alcohol in Mysuru City and District limits will be closed today at 4 pm till June 3, 4 pm.

On June 3, there will be a window of opening from 4 pm to the regular closing time at 10.30 pm. On June 4, all liquor outlets will be closed in the entire Mysuru city up to a radius of 5 kms for Lok Sabha elections’ vote counting.

Stores can open on June 5, but they will have to close again on June 6 (Mysuru city up to a radius of 3 kms) for the Legislative Council election vote counting.

The orders have been issued as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandates prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol at least 48 hours before polls. Production, sale, distribution, transportation, and storage of liquor will be banned on the above-mentioned dates. The order applies to all places serving alcohol.

Meanwhile, several restaurants and pub owners in Bengaluru have filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking a partial revocation of the ban. “We are asking for the ban to be lifted on weekends, and also for sales to be allowed after 6 pm on vote counting days,” said Chethan Hegde, Bengaluru Chapter Head of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Restaurants and bars are concerned that approximately 20 percent of their business will be affected during the ICC T20 tournament that will begin tomorrow.