Kerala High Court grants license to 22 more bars

The Kerala High Court on December 3 directed the government to grant licenses to 22 more bars attached to four-star hotels in the state, according to a report published by the Economic Times.

The order was issued by Justice Surendra Mohan while looking to the petitions by bar owners seeking renewal of their licenses in the backdrop of the decision of the court to grant licenses to bars in their hotels.

The court has given a two months time to the government to take a decision considering the eligibility of the petitioners. However, the state govt has appealed against the court's decision to permit bars in four star and heritage hotels, saying the decision was 'untenable' and 'unsustainable'.

Meanwhile, counsel for petitioners - Vaikom Vishwam, LDF convenor and Sunil Kumar, CPI MLA, informed a division bench that there was sufficient material to register a crime against Finance Minister K M Mani, who is facing allegations of bribe for granting bar license.

"There is no need to conduct preliminary investigation or quick verification before registering the crime," they submitted before a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A M Shaffique.