Judgment

DESAI, K.:- Law touching manufacture, import, use or consumption of liquor (as understood in common parlance) is recently vigorously assailed with almost afflicted sentimentalism that even though we have dismissed this batch of Special Leave Petitions on 23rd March, 1979, in fairness to petitioners on whose behalf all possible contentions that can be formulated by research and dialectics were advanced with eloquence and devoid of inebriation likely to be caused by the subject-matter of dispute, we propose shortly to state our reasons for dismissal of the petitions.

2. To illumine the contours of controversy events preceding the promulgation of the Ordinance amending the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 (Act for short), as in force in the Union Territory of Delhi (Delhi for short) styled as Punjab Excise (Delhi Amendment) Ordinance, 1979 (Ordinance for short) may be stated. Punjab Excise Act, 1914 has been extended to Delhi. While implementing the provisions of the Act, the concerned authority used to hold auction for grant of license in Form L-10 for selling country liquor and at one such auction held on 29th March, 1978 the petitioners bids were accepted and they were granted licenc