Karnataka High Court: A Division Bench of Abhay S. Oka, CJ and B.V. Nagarathna, J. dismissed a petition on the ground that that the same was not in public interest, wherein a direction was sought to open the wine shops in State Karnataka for a few hours during the lockdown period.
Petition has been filed to issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate direct the respondents to keep open the wine shops in the State of Karnataka at least for few hours in a day, if not for the whole day and etc.
The second prayer issued by the petitioner was that of providing alcohol in wine shops in limited quantities to the public during lockdown period.
Bench stated that when it expressed the view that there is no public interest involved in the present petition especially when large population is deprived of even elementary facility of food and shelter, petition Dr Vinod G. Kulkarni paid a sum of Rs 10,000 by way of donation to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund COVID-19.
Petitioner also stated that he would not press the writ petition.
Bench thus dismissed the petition and made it clear that no public interest was involved in the same. [Late G.B. Kulkarni Memorial v. State of Karnataka, 2020 SCC OnLine Kar 439 , decided on 07-04-2020]