The Delhi High Court will hear on Monday, July 5, a plea by liquor traders seeking a direction to the Delhi Government to make the New Excise Policy for 2021-22 available in the public domain.
The matter was listed on Friday before the Vacation Bench led by Justice C. Hari Shankar. The bench said: “At the request of the petitioner’s counsel, re-notify before the appropriate Bench as per roster on Monday.”
The Delhi Liquor Traders Association was represented by senior counsel Arun Mohan, while Senior Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the Delhi Government.
The plea has been filed by Delhi Liquor Traders Association through Advocate Siddharth Sharma.
The plea seeks the New Excise Policy for 2021-2022 approved in June this year be made public by the Government. The plea avers that on June 28, the Delhi Government floated a tender, inviting e-bids for grant of 32 zonal retail licenses for 2021-22 through e-tendering process in the form of L-7Z/L-7V for sale of Indian and Foreign Liquor in the region of NCT of Delhi, on the basis of the newly approved policy.
The plea contends that despite publicly floating the tender on the basis of the approved policy, the Delhi Government is yet to make the New Excise Policy public or available over the internet or over the Government’s website.
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Furthermore, the plea contends that as per the schedule of the tender, the last date notified for pre-bid queries is July 5 and the pre-bid meeting is scheduled to be held on July 6 and the submission of the e-bid will take place between July 12 to 20. In this regard, the plea averred that the New Excise Policy for 2021-22 be made available to all prospective shareholders or to the public in general, in order to enable the bidders to prepare financially viable and attractive e-bids for the tender.