The Bombay High Court has strongly questioned the Maharashtra government's decision to permit the sale and consumption of liquor at the Sunburn Festival, a major electronic dance music event being held in Mumbai for the first time. A bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad expressed deep reservations about the move, urging the state to reconsider its liquor policy in light of public safety.
Court's Stern Warning on Safety
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mumbai resident Chintamani Sarang. The PIL highlighted significant security and public order concerns arising from the sale of alcohol at the large-scale event. The festival is scheduled from December 19 to December 21 at the open-air venue of Infinity Bay, Sewri, located beneath the Atal Setu near Timber Pond Plot.
Advocate General Milind Sathe, representing the state government, assured the court that authorities were fully prepared to maintain law and order. However, the bench remained unconvinced. The judges pointedly remarked that 200 policemen would be insufficient to manage thousands of intoxicated individuals if a crisis were to occur.
"We have to take precautionary measures and not remedial measures. Anything can happen. People are having drinks and roaming in public space. In open no one can roam around drunk. Why should the law be different for them?" the High Court questioned.
Organisers' Defence and Scale of the Event
Advocates Karl Tamboly and Mustafa Kachwala, representing the festival organisers, informed the court that the event had commenced as per schedule on Friday afternoon. They asserted that all necessary permissions were in place. Tamboly detailed the extensive security arrangements, including over 250 CCTV cameras, more than 500 security personnel, police, and medical services on the ground.
The organisers revealed that approximately 31,000 tickets had been sold for the festival, which is open to attendees aged 16 and above. The daily schedule features nearly eight hours of music, from 3 pm to 10 pm.
Pending Petition and Policy Implications
While the bench did not issue an urgent order to halt the festival, it made its stance on the liquor license clear. The court decided to keep the PIL pending for a future hearing, using it as an opportunity to establish legal principles.
"We are keeping the petition pending... This is the opportunity. We will lay down the law. You cannot run liquor licenses like this," the court stated. It explicitly directed the government to re-examine its policy, noting, "Liquor license cannot be granted like this for a crowd of over 40,000 and that too in open space."
The bench initially considered asking the organisers to deposit a hefty sum of Rs 100 crore as a security measure but refrained from formalizing the order. The case underscores the ongoing tension between large-scale commercial entertainment events and public safety regulations in urban spaces.
