Madras High Court orders closure of TASMAC liquor shops in Tamil Nadu, allows online sale

The Madras High Court has ordered the closure of all state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) liquor shops in the State but has permitted online sales. The order comes just a day after the Court refused to stay the State government's decision to open liquor shops in the state except in containment zones by dismissing a PIL against the allowance.

The court has now directed the closure of all shops after petitioners pointed out overcrowding and violation of social distancing norms at these places. A special division bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana passed the interim order on a batch of pleas moved by various petitioners including actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam.

READ | Tipplers Line Up Outside TASMAC Shops In Tamil Nadu With Never-seen-before Discipline

Govt allows reopening, Oppn protest

In its Thursday's order, the high court had insisted that social distancing norms should be followed in every TASMAC shop, which the petitioners pointed out was not followed nor enforced properly. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led government had earlier announced that TASMAC shops will open from May 7. The opposition parties had protested against the move pointing out that it would prove fatal and add to the risk of the spread of the virus. 

READ | Madras High Court Allows Reopening Of TASMAC Liquor Shops; Insists On Social Distancing