A tourist drinking beer at a restaurant in Kovalam in south Kerala on September 9, 2014 (Agence France-Presse photo)
In an interim relief for bar owners in Kerala, the division bench of Kerala High Court has allowed 312 bars to remain open for one month.
Yesterday, following a single judge verdict of the High Court, all the 312 bars were to shut down immediately.
The interim order came as a response to an appeal filed by bar owners. While all 312 bars will remain open for one month, the 418 bars shut earlier would remain non-functional.
The divisional bench has posted the case for next hearing on November 18 and observed that it was a matter of serious concern.
In the September 30 verdict, the judge had upheld the shutdown of all bars, except 4-star, heritage and 5-star bars within the state.