Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has restrained the allotment of liquor contracts in Punjab under the new Excise Policy.
The High Court has issued notice to the government in the matter seeking a reply by July 8.
As per reports, four petitions were filed in the High Court against the state government’s excise policy for 2022-23.
The petitions sought cancellation of the allotment of contracts, alleging that the excise policy was unfair and arbitrary.
The state government’s excise policy for 2022-23 had came under judicial scanner with the filing of a plea for quashing the same on the grounds of being unjust and arbitrary. The petition, added the new policy eliminated the interests of “marginalised wholesalers for L-1 and L-2 licences”.
In the policy released on June 8, Punjab government targeted a revenue of ₹9,647 crore against the approximate revenue for the last financial year of ₹6,158 crore. The policy was renewed and further extended for three months till June 30 in view of the assembly elections. The government had claimed that its decisions were aimed at bringing down the rates or making it on a par with rates in Chandigarh and Haryana to curb smuggling.