Apex Court Order: 650 Bars, Pubs Likely to be Shut Down in Bengaluru from Tomorrow

Bengaluru: As many as 650 bars and pubs located across Bengaluru city are very likely to be shutdown after July 1, 2017 according to Supreme Court order, if the union government remains reluctant to denotify the high ways where the bars located.

If the Union Government doesn’t denotify the state, national highways passing through the state capital limits by July 1, 2017, then all pubs and bars within 500 meters away of the highways would be shut down from Saturday, according to an order by Supreme Court released last year.

Earlier, a Supreme Court bench on December 15, 2016 asked all states in the country to close liquor shops including bars and restaurants selling liquor within 500 metres of national and state highways. The order came in the wake of rise in drunken driving and road accident cases.

The excise department has already served closure notice to all pubs, bars and restaurants functioning in Bengaluru on June 22. The notice served by the department also includes 200 bars and restaurants located near M.G. Road, Brigade Road and Church Street. According to the reports, the centre hasn’t yet responded to Karnataka government’s letter dated June 15 seeking denotification of national and state highways in the state to relive the liquor sellers from closure of their establishments.