Delhi’s retail liquor shops will remain closed on October 9 and 10 under an Excise Department order issued as police prepare for a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar and deploy more than 20,000 personnel across the city.
The order directs the closure of liquor outlets operating under specified licences, including L6, L6&L6FG, L8, L10 and L8&L14. The Delhi government said the measure was taken as a preventive step to maintain public order.
Hotels, clubs, bars and restaurants with valid excise licences to serve liquor have been excluded from the closure and can continue operations, according to the order. The restriction therefore applies to retail liquor vends covered by the listed licence categories, rather than all establishments serving alcohol.
The decision follows calls for a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The report said permission has not been granted for the proposed gathering.
The police and paramilitary deployment reflects the security arrangements being made across the capital ahead of the planned protest. The closure of retail liquor outlets has been linked by the Excise Department to inputs received from the Delhi Police.
For residents, the order changes the availability of liquor through retail outlets for two consecutive days, while licensed hospitality venues remain outside the restriction. For the administration, it forms part of a broader public-order response involving policing, crowd management and regulation of alcohol sales.
The order covers October 9 and 10. No further details on an extension of the closure or additional restrictions were provided in the report.
