Notice on elite TASMAC outlets

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered three weeks notice on a public interest writ petition seeking to quash a GO dated August 23 this year of the Prohibition and Excise department proposing to establish 800 elite and new TASMAC shops in the State.When the PIL from advocate M Gnanasekar came up on Friday, the first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam directed Advocate-General A Navaneethakrishnan to get instructions from the government and posted the matter after three weeks.Petitioner’s interim prayer was for a direction to the authorities concerned to constitute a panel to review the functioning of the TASMAC outlets in places where there were objections from the public and to take necessary steps to close them down.Petitioner contended that  the previous government had passed a GO dated December 29, 2008 not to open any more retail shops in the State.