HC to hear on July 5 plea by liquor traders to make new Excise Policy public

The Delhi High Court Friday said it will hear on July 5, a plea by liquor traders association seeking direction to the AAP government to make public the new Excise Policy 2021-22.

Justice C Hari Shankar, presiding over a vacation bench, said, "at the request of counsel for the petitioner, renotify before the roster bench on Monday'', when the court will reopen after vacations.

The court was hearing a petition by the Delhi Liquor Traders Association seeking to direct the Delhi government to make public the new Excise Policy for the year 2021-22 which was approved in June.

While the association was represented through senior advocate Arun Mohan, the Delhi government was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

The plea said that on June 28, the government floated tender inviting e-bids for grant of 32 zonal retail licenses for 2021-22 through e-tendering process in the form of L-7Z/L-7V for sale of Indian and Foreign Liquor (except country liquor) in the national capital based on the new policy.

It said that despite floating the tender publicly based on the approved new Excise Policy 2021-22 for Delhi, the policy is yet to be made public or available on the internet/ or government's website and as per the schedule of the tender, the last date for the pre-bid queries is July 5.

The plea, filed through advocate Siddharth Sharma, said while the pre-bid meeting is scheduled to be held on July 6, and the submission of the e-bid is between July 12 to 20. To prepare financially viable and attractive e-bids for the tender, the approved new policy must be made available to all prospective stakeholders and the public in general, it said.