New Delhi, May 29 (H.S.): The ban on alcoholic beverages such as Absolut Vodka and Chivas Regal in Delhi will continue to remain in force after the Delhi High Court refused to grant relief to French liquor company Pernod Ricard.

A bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav dismissed the petition filed by Pernod Ricard, in which the company had sought permission to resume the sale of its products in the national capital.

The company had approached the court seeking the lifting of restrictions imposed on its products, aiming to re-enter the Delhi market. However, the firm has been under scrutiny in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, due to which restrictions were imposed on it in 2023.

Earlier, Pernod Ricard had also applied for a liquor licence before the Finance Commissioner, but its application was rejected. In an order dated February 17, the Finance Commissioner observed that there were serious allegations against the company in the Delhi excise case. It was further alleged that in 2021 the company conspired with liquor retailers to illegally increase its market share.

During the hearing, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Jayant Mehta, appearing for Pernod Ricard, argued that the Finance Commissioner had wrongly relied on pending criminal proceedings against the company. They contended that the existence of a pending case cannot be equated with a criminal conviction or adverse criminal antecedents.

They further argued that Section 13 of the Delhi Excise Act applies only to individuals or entities that have been convicted, and therefore should not have been invoked against the company.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar