The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday sought a reply from the Uttar Pradesh government on liquor shops adjacent to schools, hospitals, temples and residential areas in Balaganj area of Hardoi Road, Lucknow.
The Division Bench of Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Vivek Varma passed this order while hearing a PIL filed by Ashok Kumar Shukla (Petitioner In Person).
The petitioner has filed the petition in the form of a PIL, seeking a direction to the respondents to transfer/remove the country liquor shop, foreign liquor shop, and Beer Shop situated at Hari Bazar, Balaganj, Hardoi Road, Lucknow belonging to respondents to elsewhere in Balaganj, Lucknow.
The submission of the petitioner, who appears in person, is that he is a practicing lawyer of the court. He argued that the respondent, who is a very influential person, has a licensee liquor shop at Hari Bazar, Balaganj, Hardoi Road, Lucknow and this liquor shop is located in front of St Joseph School, JPS Children Hospital, a 50-year-old temple and residential area, in which small children, woman and many devotees visit every day.
The petitioner has also pointed out that as per Uttar Pradesh Number and Location of Excise Shops Rules, 1968, liquor shops cannot be operated within 50 metres in the municipal area but the respondents has operated her liquor shop within 25-35 metres from St Joseph School, JPS Children Hospital, old temple and residential area at Hari Bazar, Balaganj, Hardoi Road, Lucknow in contravention of the aforesaid Rules, 1968, hence the instant PIL has been filed by the petitioner.
Considering the aforesaid, Standing Counsel shall seek necessary instructions in the matter by the next date of listing, the court ordered.
The Court has fixed the next hearing of the petition on December 15, 2021.