Foreign Liquor Rules

The Kerala Bar Hotels Association and other hotel operators challenged the Kerala government's 2014‑15 policy that restricted foreign liquor (FL‑3) licences to only five‑star hotels, alleging violations of Articles 14, 19 and 47 of the Constitution. The State argued that the policy is a reasonable classification aimed …

The petitioners, holders of FL3 foreign liquor licences, were unable to use their licences for the full financial year because of court‑issued injunctions and other extraneous circumstances. They challenged the demand to pay the full annual licence fee under Rule 14 of the Foreign Liquor Rules, seeking a remission and …

The partnership firm Modern Hotel held an FL‑3 licence to run a bar, but renewal was denied because a partner had earlier incurred abkari dues and the proviso to Rule 13A(5) of the Foreign Liquor Rules required that at least 50 % of such arrears be cleared. The firm paid additional sums over several years and later, un…