The High Court by a judgment and order of its Division Bench dated 25 February 2013 granted time until 31 March 2013 for the relocation of existing liquor shops being run on national state highways.
18 During the pendency of these proceedings, this Court by its order dated 7 May 2013 directed that liquor vends along national highways be removed by 14 August 2013.
The Madras High Court was seized with a public interest litigation seeking the removal of retail outlets for liquor on national and state highways, companytrary to the advisory of the Union government dated 1 December 2011.
7 In an advisory dated 21 May 2014, MoRTH stated that in 2012, 1.38 lakh people were killed in 4.9 lakh road accidents.
The position was illustrated in another advisory dated 18 March 2013 of MoRTH to the Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories where it was stated that in 2011, 1.42 lakh people were killed in 4.9 lakhs road accidents.
Both on a personal scale in terms of the injuries and loss of life as well as in a social companytext, restitution in the form of mandatory awards of companypensation can never undo the trauma of loss and the pain of suffering.
24,655 road accidents were caused due to drunken driving resulting in 10,553 deaths and injuries to 21,148 persons.
23,979 road accidents were caused due to drunken driving resulting in 7835 deaths and injuries to 23,403 persons.
An affidavit was filed before this Court on 22 August 2013 by the state government stating that 504 TASMAC retail liquor shops along the national highways have been shifted.
In terms of personal suffering caused to individuals and families as well as in terms of deprivation caused to society of its productive social capital, road accidents impose unacceptable companyts.
The law can only imperfectly alleviate the companysequences of road accidents.
The proliferation of liquor shops on state highways 1731 shops over 9520 kilometres indicates the easy availability of liquor on the state highways.
The High Court numbered that in the state of Tamil Nadu liquor shops along the highways are being run by Tamil Nadu State Marketing Transport Corporation TASMAC .
It was stated that 75 shops have been shifted and a new location for 335 shops had been identified.
This order of the High Court has been questioned by the State of Tamil Nadu and TASMAC.
They have claimed human lives and caused debility and injury.
Notice was issued, companyfined to the closure of liquor vends along state highways.
Six months time was sought for shifting the shops the affidavit having being filed in March 2013.
The affidavit stated that nearly 504 shops are situated along national highways and sometime would be required to relocate them.
The issue which we address in this case is about the presence of liquor vends on national and state highways across the companyntry.
Dr D Y CHANDRACHUD, J Delay companydoned.
Leave granted.
The backdrop to the case is provided by alarming statistics on the occurrence of road accidents.
