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Informist, Friday, Apr. 11, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court has stayed an order by the excise department that asked Epiphany Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., which operates restaurant-cum-bar 'Hauz Khas Social' in New Delhi, to not serve liquor as it did not have any valid eating house licence. The excise department's order has been stayed till it decides on the show-cause notice issued to Epiphany Hospitality and after taking into account its application seeking renewal of eating house registration, the court said.

 

In terms of Delhi Eating Houses, Registration Regulations, 2023, Epiphany Hospitality's premises will be deemed to be duly registered thereunder, until its registration certificate is duly renewed and delivered or till an intimation is sent by the licensing unit of Delhi Police that the renewal has been refused, the high court said. The licensing unit of the Delhi Police has been directed to process Epiphany Hospitality's application for renewal of registration and take a decision as expeditiously as possible, preferably within a period of two weeks, the high court said.

 

Epiphany Hospitality said it held L-17 and L-17F licences "for service of Indian liquor and foreign liquor in independent restaurant". Although the licence was originally issued in 2023 and was valid until Mar. 31, its validity has since been extended till Jun. 30. 

 

Epiphany Hospitality said it was facing repeated administrative obstacles from the licensing unit of Delhi Police, in connection with the process for renewal of eating house registration, which had expired on Mar. 31, 2024. Instead of renewing the registration, the petitioner received a show-cause notice in January from the licensing unit of Delhi Police that its restaurant was illegally serving alcohol within 100 metres of a government school and village temples. 

 

Thereafter, the excise department conducted an inspection at the petitioner's premises on Apr. 3 and proceeded to seize the entire stock of liquor, citing the absence of a valid eating house licence and issued a show-cause notice to it on Apr. 8. Challenging this, Epiphany Hospitality moved the high court.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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