PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. 485 of 2025 at Lucknow

Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC-LKO:29257-DB Chief Justice's Court Case :- PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 485 of 2025 Petitioner :- Mahesh Soni and 7 others Respondent :- State of U.P. through Prin. Secy. Excise Lko. and 5 others Counsel for Petitioner :- Lovekush Pandey, Shailja Kant Mishra Counsel for Respondent :- C.S.C. Anand Kumar Singh (S.C.) Hon'ble Arun Bhansali,Chief Justice Hon'ble Jaspreet Singh,J. 1. This petition, purportedly in public interest, has been filed by the petitioners, inter alia, seeking to question the location of a composite liquor shop, licence whereof has been granted by the respondents for the year 2025-26. 2. Submissions have been made that shop in question is near to a hospital, a Government Inter College and residential area and, therefore, contrary to the provisions of U.P. Excise Number of Shop and Position Rules, 1968 (for short, 'the Rules of 1968'). 3. Instructions have been produced by the learned Standing Counsel, inter alia, indicating the distance of shop in question being 220 meters away from Inter College and away from the residential colony on the main road. 4. A perusal of the writ petition indicates that except for making gener