Patna high court adjourns hearing in liquor ban case till May 3

The Patna high court adjourned till May 3 the hearing on a bunch of petitions challenging various aspects of the recent Bihar government notification imposing a complete ban on manufacture, sale and consumption of IMFL in the state from April 5.

The Patna high court on Tuesday adjourned till May 3 the hearing on a bunch of petitions challenging various aspects of the recent Bihar government notification imposing a complete ban on manufacture, sale and consumption of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in the state from April 5.

The Patna high court has adjourned till May 3 the hearing on a bunch of petitions challenging various aspects of the recent Bihar government notification. (Representative Photo)

A division bench of acting chief justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and justice Samarendra Pratap Singh passed the order after principal additional advocate general (PAAG) Lalit Kishore requested the court to take up the matter for hearing after two weeks.

During an earlier hearing of petitions filed by the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies and others, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of Bihar, Manoj Kumar and other bar operators of Bihar, the court had directed the state government not to take any coercive action against the petitioners for keeping the stock of liquor, already sold to Bihar State Beverages Corporation Ltd (BSBCL). The court, however, did not grant a stay on the government notification.