Jodhpur, Nov. 27 -- The Rajasthan high court on Tuesday directed the state government to remove or shift every liquor shop located within 500 metres of national and state highways, holding that the state failed to uphold the Supreme Court's mandate meant to protect human life from the rising dangers of road accidents. A division bench of justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and justice Sanjeet Purohit said it was deeply concerned about the growing number of fatal crashes in Rajasthan, many of which were linked to drunk driving, and observed that the constitutional right to life cannot be compromised for revenue considerations. Citing an HT report published on November 6, the bench observed that a steep rise of nearly 8% in cases of drunk driving in Rajasthan in 2025. While 40,715 such cases were recorded in 2024, the figure has already escalated to 43,788 by September 2025, marking an alarming increase of approximately 7.55%. This surge is not a statistical anomaly but stands reflected in severe and recurring consequences on public safety and human life. The court noted that recent reports have shown a sharp spike in drunk driving cases and cited two major accidents in Jaipur and Phalodi, which together claimed at least 28 lives within two days. Calling this loss of life "tragic and avoidable," the bench said such incidents "constitute a grave infraction of the constitutional guarantee under Article 21". The bench relied extensively on the Supreme Court's observations in State of Tamil Nadu v. K. Balu, where the apex court had warned that over-speeding and the intake of alcohol contribute significantly to deaths on Indian highways. Emphasising the continuing relevance of these findings, the bench said the state must ensure that liquor shops are not easily accessible from highways. During the hearing, the State admitted that 1102 out of 7665 liquor shops in Rajasthan are situated on National and State Highways, but argued that these locations fall within municipal or local-body limits because of expanding urban boundaries. The court rejected this justification outright, observing that "the admitted operation of 1102 liquor shops on national and state highways effectively nullifies the safety objective underlying the apex court's orders". The bench held that the State had misused the limited discretion granted by the Supreme Court, which had allowed factual assessment only in genuinely urbanised stretches. The Court said this discretion had been stretched in a way that undermined public safety and added that mechanically treating highway stretches as part of expanding urban areas "would amount to giving a complete go-by to the statutory scheme". After reviewing the material placed on record and the state's own admission regarding the involvement of over Rs.2200 crore in revenue from shops classified as falling within municipal zones, the Court emphasised that fiscal considerations cannot be placed above human life. It stressed that the entire purpose of the Supreme Court's directions was to keep highways insulated from easy access to liquor, especially when accident numbers in Rajasthan remain alarming. The bench also took note of recent complaints regarding illegal advertisements, signages and display boards of liquor shops visible from highways, which further reinforced its concern that safety norms were not being followed in spirit. The court firmly ordered that no liquor shop situated within 500 metres of any national or state highway shall remain operational in Rajasthan. It directed the state government to remove or relocate all such shops, including the 1102 shops currently on record, to legally permissible locations beyond 500 metres within a period of two months. The court clarified that this restriction applies even if these shops fall within municipal limits, local self-governing bodies or development authorities. It further ordered that no hoardings, signages or advertisements related to liquor should be visible from highways, even after relocation, and instructed the Excise Commissioner to file a detailed compliance affidavit before the next hearing. The matter has been listed for January 26, 2025....