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The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Delhi government’s excise department to look into allegations of unauthorised clubs, bars and pubs being run in the city’s Humayunpur village, Safdarjung Enclave, without an excise licence.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna, hearing a plea moved by advocate Prashant Kumar Umrao, was informed by the petitioner’s counsel that there were clubs/bars, which are being run allegedly in the basements of Humayunpur village without an excise licence or fire safety permissions.
Pointing to certain “flyers” relating to a few of these establishments, the counsel argued that Halloween parties had recently been organised at some of these places, adding the roads there are so narrow that even fire tenders can’t enter in case of an emergency.
While perusing through a status report submitted by the Delhi government’s Department of Excise, the bench expressed its concern observing that the “status report does not inspire confidence” while noting that the department had visited the establishments and “found nothing”.
“It can’t be that there are flyers and you are saying that you haven’t even found a bottle. What is happening? Something seems to be amiss. It is a very serious matter. There can’t be such a wide gap or variation in facts. Some of the joints are running without a fire exit. What if someone dies? How will people exit?” the bench remarked orally.
The counsel for the Delhi government said that there was only one establishment against which an FIR has been registered as liquor was not found on the premises of others, adding certain places were also found locked during inspection.
The HC, thereafter, orally asked the excise department to conduct a check at the establishments in the area again and listed the matter for further hearing on December 14.
The counsel appearing for certain establishments who have been impleaded as parties in the matter argued that his clients are small eating joints and coffee shops, which do not serve alcohol.
In its plea, the petitioner has claimed that these pubs, operating in a residential area, have become a “source of nuisance” not only for the residents of the neighbouring area but also for the people such as him who visit the nearby public places.
The plea further stated that the locals have often allegedly witnessed public nuisance in the form of fights between people in an intoxicated state while coming out of the clubs/bars. It also claimed that these places play loud music which further causes difficulty for local residents.
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