Supreme Court Declines Plea Against Liquor Sales

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a public interest litigation seeking a ban on the sale of liquor in tetra packs in Uttar Pradesh, directing the petitioner to raise the matter before the state authorities instead.

The plea challenged the Uttar Pradesh government’s recent excise policy, which mandates that country liquor, earlier sold in glass bottles, will now be packaged in tetra packs to improve safety and curb adulteration.

The petition was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, after petitioner Meenakshi Shree Tiwari, represented by advocate Ashok Pande, urged the court to prohibit the new packaging format. The move comes amid broader changes in the state’s excise policy, including the introduction of an e-lottery system for allocating liquor and bhang shop licences.