Kerala HC stays govt order on special passes for liquor

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed the state government’s decision to issue special passes to tipplers, who have withdrawal symptoms due to non- availability of liquor in view of coronavirus lockdown, to get it on doctor’s prescription, saying it was a “recipe for disaster.”
“This is disturbing… This is a recipe for disaster,” the court said in its oral observations and also questioned the state government whether it could prove withdrawal symptoms can be treated by the use of alcohol.
Staying the order for three weeks on a batch of petitions, including that of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), challenging it, a bench comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chaly granted a week’s time to the government to file its response. (PTI)