Why permission granted to 40,000 people in Sunburn festival to consume alcohol in open space : Bombay HC questions Govt.

The Court observes that a review of the liquor policy is necessary

Mumbai – The Bombay High Court questioned the State Government on how permission was granted for 40,000 people to consume alcohol in an open space at the ‘Sunburn Music Festival’ currently underway in Sewri. Advocate General Milind Sathe told the bench of Chief Justice Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Akhand that “The State Government can maintain law and order.

” The Court responded, “If 1,000 people are in a drunken state, how will 200 Police officers maintain law and order ? We need to take preventive measures, not curative ones. Anything can happen. People cannot roam around in a drunken state in public. Should there be a separate law for them ? There is a need to reconsider the State’s liquor policy,” the Court added.

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1. “We will not dispose of this petition. We don’t know when another such petition will be filed. So this is an opportunity. We will clarify the law now. You cannot issue liquor licenses in this manner,” the Court said.

2. “This event is taking place in an open space. How will you ensure that no untoward incident occurs ? How will you identify whether a person is drunk or not ? How will you ensure that there is no physical contact in a crowd of thousands of people ?”, the Court questioned the organizers.

Organizers provide an overview of the event preparations

On behalf of the organizers, advocates Karl Tamboli and Mustafa Kachwala informed the Court that all necessary permissions for the festival have been obtained. More than 250 CCTV cameras have been installed. More than 500 security personnel, including uniformed and plainclothes Police officers, along with 7 ambulances and 70 medical staff, are deployed at the event venue.