Record liquor sales despite Kerala bar closures

Sales of Indian-made booze have not been affected by the closure of 418 hotel bars in the southern state of Kerala, a High Court has heard.

Liquor sales have not been affected by bar closures in the southern state of Kerala, India

As reported by The Indian Express, while listening to the petitions of the hotel bar owners against the new proposed liquor policy, the High Court requested the state-run Kerala State Beverages Corporation to provide information of liquor sales since April 2014.

The Beverages Corporation told the high court on Friday that since April, the remaining hotel bars in the region had experienced record liquor sales, The Indian Express reported.

From April to August 2014, the 312 hotel bars selling liquor reported an increase in sales of Rs 403 crore – up from Rs 221 crore over the same period last year.

Hotel bar owners had argued that closures would not impact liquor sales because more people would source liquor from retail outlets of the Beverage Corporation.

Plans to enforce partial Prohibition in India’s state of Kerala were put on hold earlier this month by the Supreme Court.

It came amidst proposals by Indian officials to impose an outright ban on alcohol sales in Kerala, which is the country’s largest consumer of alcohol.