Bombay High Court scales back Pune liquor ban to two days

The Bombay High Court intervened on Friday to scale back a 10-day liquor ban in Pune during the Ganesh festival to just two days, criticizing the original order as arbitrary and stigmatizing to the city's residents. The Pune district administration subsequently complied with the court's directive. A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna was hearing petitions filed by the National Restaurant Association of India and retail liquor associations challenging the Pune collector's order, which had prohibited alcohol sales for 10 days starting September 14. The court questioned why Pune was singled out for such a restriction while other parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, faced no similar ban. "What is the rationale behind choosing only Pune? We deprecate such practice. This is a stigma on Pune residents," Chief Justice Tripathi stated during the hearing. He added that the court would intervene if the prohibition order was not withdrawn, describing the blanket ban as an unfair restriction on licensed establishments conducting their business.