Summary
On Himachal Pradesh’s application for parity with the highway-liquor relaxation granted to specified hilly areas of Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court required further factual particulars before considering relief. It directed the State to file an affidavit identifying its hilly districts or areas within four weeks. The order did not grant the requested additional exemption.
Issues
- What factual material was required before considering Himachal Pradesh’s request for parity with the relaxation for specified areas of Uttarakhand.
Held
- The earlier order had declined additional relaxation for Himachal Pradesh beyond the protection relating to local bodies with populations of 20,000. A subsequent order granted relief for specified districts and tehsils of Uttarakhand, prompting the parity application. (¶¶ 1, 2)
- Before considering the request, the Court needed particulars of which districts or areas of Himachal Pradesh could be regarded as hilly, following the factual approach used for Uttarakhand. It required an affidavit within four weeks and directed listing thereafter. (¶¶ 3, 4)
Result
State directed to file the specified affidavit within four weeks; applications to be listed thereafter. Request for additional exemption remained for consideration.