Person’s life not below revenue: Rajasthan High Court tears into state govt for booze shops along highways

The order, passed by a Bench of Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjeet Purohit, said, “This court is of the firm view that any liquor shop situated within the restricted limit of 500 metres from a National or State Highway shall not remain operational. The respondents are directed to remove or relocate all liquor shops falling within the prohibited zone, irrespective of whether they fall under municipal areas, local self-governing bodies or statutory development authorities. It shall be open for the respondents to shift or relocate the said 1,102 liquor shops to conforming locations beyond 500 metres within a period of two months.”

The court also directed the state government to ensure that “no hoardings, signages or advertisements relating to the availability of liquor/liquor shops are visible from the National or State Highways, even while relocating the shops beyond the mandatory distance of 500 metres.”

The order came after the court noted a “steep rise of nearly 8% in cases of drunk driving in Rajasthan during the year 2025. While 40,715 such cases were recorded in 2024, the figure has already escalated to 43,788 by September 2025, marking an alarming increase of approximately 7.55%. This surge is not a statistical anomaly but stands reflected in severe and recurring consequences on public safety and human life”.

It said that the Supreme Court, for the purpose of road safety and public safety, imposed categorical restrictions on the location of liquor shops along National and State Highways, while granting limited discretion to the State with the expectation that such discretion would be exercised in a careful and responsible manner.

“However, the material placed on record shows that the State has failed to implement the mandate in its true spirit,” the HC said, expressing “extreme concern regarding the manner in which the directions of the Hon’ble Apex Court have been diluted and the discretion granted to the State Government has been misutilised”.

When the state claimed that these vends provide revenue amounting to Rs 2,221.78 crore, the court said, “the constitutional objective of safeguarding public life and safety cannot be subordinated to revenue considerations”, while criticising the government for turning National and State Highways into “effectively liquor-friendly corridors”.

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