LUCKNOW, Nov. 9 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has asked the excise commissioner to explain how a liquor and beer shop opened within a radius of less than 100 metres of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar. The court also asked the excise commissioner to explain what action he took after becoming aware of the matter. The court has fixed November 14 as the next date of hearing. A division bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Prashant Kumar passed the order on November 6 on a petition filed by local resident Dinesh Yadav and others. Senior advocate Gaurav Mehrotra, representing the petitioners, argued that a licence for an English liquor and beer shop had been granted very close to the Lohia institute's gate. The state government opposed the petition, stating that the shop was located 53 metres from the Lohia institute's gate, and therefore, there was no illegality in granting the licence. However, the counsel for the petitioners said in the case of Uttar Pradesh vs Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, the Supreme Court had ordered to issue licence to liquor shops at least 100 metres away from hospitals. "The Uttar Pradesh government itself was a party in this case and despite this the radius of 53 metres is being said to be legal," said the petitioner's counsel. On this, the court has sought a reply and has also ordered to issue a notice to the licensee of the shop Nitin Jaiswal. According to Rule 5(4) of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Shops and Location Rules 1968, a liquor shop cannot be opened near any residential place, hospital, school, factory and religious places. After hearing the arguments, the court has asked the lawyer of the state government to take clear instructions from the state government in this matterhtc...