The Allahabad High Court recently held that the police cannot ban the sale or consumption of liquor at concerts while granting permission for an event under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.

Justices Alok Mathur and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary were hearing a plea filed by a firm that had applied for noise pollution permission to host a concert sponsored by a liquor brand in Lucknow . While the police authority granted the permission for the event, it added a condition prohibiting any sale or serving of alcohol during the concert.

“We further find that there is no provision in the Rules of 2000 with regard to the power and/or scope of permitting

or denying the permission for serving of intoxicating products, including alcohol.…