April to Begin With Dry Spell at City Liquor Vends

After contractors' claims of violation of 2025-26 Excise Policy at the recent liquor vend auction, HC stays operation of vends from April 1

- HT Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: Amid liquor contractors' claims of "a single family" securing 90% of the liquor vends during a recent e-auction in violation of the 2025-26 UT Excise Policy, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday stayed the operation of all liquor vends in Chandigarh from April 1.

It effectively means that none of the total 96 vends auctioned by the administration will be able to start operations until at least April 3, when the high court will take up the petitions challenging the allotments again.

Meanwhile, with the current financial year ending at midnight on March 31, existing licensees will also be required to wrap up their operations, leading to no liquor sale at vends for at least three days in the new fiscal.

The court order came on multiple petitions challenging these allotments, alleging that a single family and their associates had secured 87 out of the 96 vends auctioned by the Chandigarh excise and taxation department.