Chennai: The Madras High Court today refused to stop the reopening of the State-owned TASMAC wine shops in Tamilnadu from tomorrow,Ā by accepting assurances made by the government.
Dismissing a plea which sought an order to stay the reopening of the liquor outlets, the court pointed out that the Tamilnadu government has promised to ensure social distancing and security when the shops are reopened.
It directed that only one full bottle can be given to a customer per day. The court also wanted the government to explore online sale of liquor.
Earlier in the day, the court directed the Tamilnadu government to provide a detailed reply on the measures being taken to avoid crowds in front of TASMAC liquor shops, which are to be reopened from tomorrow.
The order, seeking reply by late this afternoon, was issued when a plea seeking a direction to not open the liquor outlets came up for hearing.
It may be recalled that the State government had on Monday evening announced opening of liquor shops in the State from 10 am to 5 pm tomorrow, with stringent norms–only in non-containment zones–as people in bordering districts of Tamilnadu thronged the wine shops in neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where the shops were allowed to open.