Lockdown | Kerala HC stays govt order allowing sale of liquor

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed for three weeks a government order allowing sale of liquor to those suffering from alcoholic withdrawal symptoms on the basis of a prescription given by a government doctor.

The Bench comprising Justice A.K.Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Shaji P. Chaly issued the stay order while admitting a writ petition filed by Dr. G S Vijayakrishnan,General Secretary, Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association(KGMO) challenging the order. According to him, the order required government doctors to certify that a patient was having withdrawal symptom to enable him to obtain a pass for buying liquor from the state beverages corporation's outlets. The government had issued the order in the wake of closure of beverages outlets and bar counters following the lockdown.

The petitioner said that it was a fact that a liquor addict might suffer from Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS) commonly called as “withdrawal symptoms due to non -availability of liquor.