High Court grants relief order to Kerala Bar Hotels

Kerala High Court permitted the remaining 317 bar hotels in the state to continue functioning till December 12 by extending the status quo order granted earlier on a batch of appeals by the Bar owners.

However, the division bench of the court did not allow a stay on the verdict of the single bench. Earlier, a single bench allowed bars to function till November 30 but allowed bars in four and five star category to continue operations.

The single bench had upheld the state excise policy for 2014-15 thus paving the way for closure of over 700 odd bars, including the 418 bars whose licenses were not renewed. But the single bench had made it clear that hotels classified as four star and heritage were entitled to bar license.

Challenging the decision to permit bars in four star and heritage hotels as 'untenable and unsustainable', the government has also filed an appeal which was admitted by the bench. The appeal will be heard from 3 December onwards.