HC waters down LDF toddy auction plan

The Kerala High Court today partially stayed an order of the Left Democratic Front Government — allotting exclusive rights to sell toddy to certain cooperative societies—slated to take effect from April 1.

The Kerala High Court today partially stayed an order of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government — allotting exclusive rights to sell toddy to certain cooperative societies—slated to take effect from April 1.

A major pivot of the new policy— which had invited heavy Opposition flak—was to hand over the entire toddy trade in the state to cooperative societies, in staggered phases. The Government had made arrangements for auctioning off almost all toddy outlets in north Kerala, and a few in Ernakulam on Wednesday and Thursday, but only to select cooperative societies, a good many of them controlled by the CPM.

The HC, while hearing a slew of petitions against the government move, put a stay on the government’s liquor policy. Justice Tottathil Radhakrishnan who pronounced the stay order, observed that there was no justification in allowing it, excluding individual bidders for the toddy outlets. The case has been posted for further hearing.

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The court order comes at a time when the Congress, which had boycotted the new policy tabled in the Assembly last fortnight was getting ready to take the issue to the streets.

While senior Congress leaders such as Union minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi had alleged the Left policy was aimed at helping the Spirit mafia by allowing the free flow of spirits into the state, KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala had alleged that it was an attempt to let CPM-controlled cooperatives to mint money.