[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]I[/dropcap]n a move that could be termed as a conflict of interest, Attorney General (AG) of India Mukul Rohatgi has issued a doubtful legal opinion to Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPM) ruled Kerala State on how to save the liquor lobby from the Supreme Court’s ban on bars near the National Highways. The Supreme Court (SC) was just implementing the norms of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). As AG, Rohatgi is supposed to be the representative of the Union Government in the Courts and this advice of his to the Government of Kerala beggars belief.
Whoever comes to power, be it the CPM-led Front or the Congress-led Front, the power of the liquor lobby in Kerala is huge.
For the past two decades, the Ministry and NHAI have been giving directions to states from time to time to reduce the road accidents by not allowing liquor pubs or bars near National Highways. Many a time the Centre has written to the States to implement these measures to reduce the growing road accidents due to the drunk driving on the highways. A bar in North Paravur, Kerala, has built a 250 metre-long maze that leads to the actual establishment!
The three page opinion given to the CPM controlled Kerala State Government by Rohatgi shows how to dilute the Supreme Court’s Order by redefining various alcoholic products. He spells it out saying the judgment and directions contained therein applies to liquor shops wherein liquor is sold as retail items. The judgment does not bring within its sweep restaurants and hotels who serve liquor within their premises. So if all the liquor stores along the national highways convert themselves into restaurants serving liquor along with (optionally) food, then they would not be in violation of the Supreme Court edict? Does this not defeat the very purpose of this ruling?
Whoever comes to power, be it the CPM-led Front or the Congress-led Front, the power of the liquor lobby in Kerala is huge. Moreover a year ago, in a highly questionable move, Rohatgi appeared for a liquor baron of Kerala in Supreme Court against the State’s policy in limiting the liquor shops and bars. How an Attorney General can do this baffles the mind!
Rohatgi’s opinion given to the state government favouring the liquor lobby is published below. Last week, the Apex Court has rejected the Kerala Government’s stand formulated based on Rohatgi’s opinion.
This is not the first time Rohatgi is inviting controversies. His travel with one Rajeev Agarwal, a person jailed for smuggling to Dubai was totally inappropriate. As per the flight manifest sourced by PGurus, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi travelled with Rajeev Agarwal on December 20, 2014 in Emirates flight (EK 511) from Delhi to Dubai. According to eyewitnesses, Delhi’s Customs Commissioner and top officials escorted the Attorney General and his controversial friend cum client caught for smuggling from Airport entrance to Aircraft! Rohatgi’s seat number was 2E and Agarwal was in the adjacent seat 2F. The detailed article on this regard was published in PGurus earlier.
The question is why no action is being taken against such questionable ways of Attorney General Rohatgi…
Rohatgi’s opinion given to the state government favouring the liquor lobby is published below:
Opinion State of Kerala G Prakash Adv 24.2 by PGurus on Scribd
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
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Rohatgi is protected by Jaitley and Modi is like a mute spectator on this gang’s frauds
Modi is in a JAM. Deaf and blind to many things including Covert finance operations, Kashmir protests etc.
Rohatagi’s continuance in the position of AG is completely UNTENABLE.
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Legality or otherwise of his advice to Kerala Govt is another question.
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It’s very clear from his attitude/tone – he is in the PAYROLL of ‘liquor mafia’
Today Govts of the globe are run or controlled by (1) ‘LOBBIES guided by immorality & greed’ or (2) ‘criminal mafia’
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Democracy, rule of law, Justice for all are just sweet words for public consumption.
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India – like any other country is firmly entangled in the vicious grip of (1) Liquor Mafia (2) Meat Mafia (3) Drug Mafia (4) Tobacco Mafia (5) Fertilizer Lobby
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Liquor is destroying millions of families & turning women to destitution & children to a grim & hopeless future. But no Government has the nerve to impose a total prohibition in its jurisdiction either because the Governments themselves are recipients of huge HAFTAs or the Liquor Mafia is so strong & opulent that any such attempt will be nipped in the bud.
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So are the Drug, Tobacco & Meat Mafias.
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India is wasting 30 trillion annually on harmful chemical fertilizers & poisonous pesticides. If Indian farmers adopt COW BASED ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING, India not only can save this entire 30 trillion but can vastly improve ‘farm productivity’, detoxify the extant ‘toxic food chain’.
But any attempt to ban ‘agro chemical’ will be stoutly resisted by the FERTILIZER LOBBY.
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Few bright spots like Nitish Kumar of Bihar or Pawan Chamling of Sikkim occasionally illuminate our political sky but that is all.
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India is yet to produce a REAL POLITICAL HERO – a la Sardar Patel who can challenge all the evil MAFIAS shown above
In UP even the restaurants & Dhabas doubling up as Bars are being closed down / shifted. This logic not holding.