Rule 75(2) of the Rajasthan Excise Rules, 1956, prohibits the location of liquor shops within 200 meters of Senior Higher Secondary Schools, and no licence can be granted for the sale of beer within that radius.

1. - The facts giving rise to this writ petition are as under--

The respondent No. 4 is a restaurant at Bhagwan Das Road, Jaipur. The said respondent applied for grant of licence for serving of beer (beer bar licence) to the customers for consumption in the restaurant. Licence dated 26.9.95 (Annex. 7) was granted by the Excise Commissioner, Rajasthan, Jaipur (respondent No. 2) to the respondent No. 4. Saint Soldier Public School, the petitioner herein, has filed this writ petition with the allegations that the petitioner is a Senior Higher Secondary School and that in the vicinity there are Saint Xavier's Senior Higher Secondary School, Saint Annes Public School, Mahavir Digamber Senior Higher Secondary School, Merry Lands School, Rajdhani Hospital and a hostel for boarding of destitute students and that the licence (Annex. 7) should not have been granted to the respondent No. 4 and it has been prayed that the licence issued to the respondent No. 4 be quashed and respondents No. 1 to 3 be restrained from issuing any beer bar licence to the respondent No. 4 at the place in question. The writ petition has been opposed by the respondents.

2. I have heard the learned Counsel for the parties and have also perused the record of the case.

3. Before dealing with the contentions raised by the learned Counsel for the parties it may be appropriate to deal with the provisions made in the Rajasthan Excise Act, 1950 (the Act) and the Rajasthan Excise Rules, 1956 (the Rules) made by the State Government in exercise of the powers vested in it under Section 41 of the Act. Section 4 of the Act empowers the State Government to declare any substance to be liquor for the purposes of the Act or any portion thereof and for that purpose, also declare what shall be deemed to be "country liquor" and "foreign liquor" and these declarations can be made by issuing notifications to be published in the official Gazette. Vide notification No. F. 49(8) dated 15.2.1957 (S.R. 53), the State Government has defined the 'foreign liquor' as under:

"2. Foreign liquor

(a) All liquor imported into India;

(b) Liquor made in India and sophisticated or coloured so as to resemble in flavour or colour liquor imported into India;

(c) Liquor made in India which has been blended or compounded with liquor imported into India;

(d) Beer made in India, or imported beer;

(e) All absolute alcohol, rectified or perfumed or medloated spirit wherever made."

4. Rule 75 of the Rules, as amended vide GSR 51 and mentioned in the notification No. F. 1(16)FD/EX/91 dated 27.2.1992, reads as under:

"75. Location of shops:

(1) A licensee for the retail sale of Country Liquor, Foreign or Indian Made Foreign Liquor or hemp drugs shall have his shop only at a place approved by the District Excise Officer concerned.

(2) A shop for the retail sale of Country Liquor or Indian Made Foreign Liquor shall not be located within a radius of 200 meters of Collegiate Educational Institution, Senior Higher Secondary School, Hospital, Place of Worship or Place of Public Entertainment, a Factory or a Labour or Harijan Colony, Railway Station or Bus Stand approved by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation or the appropriate Local Authority, as the case may be.

(3) A retail shop shall not be shifted from one place to another without the prior permission of the District Excise Officer concerned.

(4) The District Excise Officer, with sufficient reasons to be recorded in writing, shall have the powers to shift a shop from one place to another and no compensation shall be given to the licencee for such shifting of a shop.

Provided that the Excise Commissioner may grant relaxation in the above conditions of location of a Liquor shop in exceptional circumstances with the prior approval of the State Government after recording sufficient reasons in writing for doing so.

EXPLANATION

(1) For the purpose of Sub-rule (2) of Rule 75, the restrictions about the distance of a shop from a "Race of Worship in the cities having a popu