The Bombay High Court on Friday chose not to issue an outright or indefinite order banning the sale of liquor at the Sunburn Music Festival, which is currently underway at the Bombay Port Trust grounds in Sewri, Mumbai. Instead, the court urged the Government of Maharashtra to reconsider its decision to permit liquor service at the event, raising serious concerns about public safety and law-and-order management.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad questioned the practicality of maintaining law and order at a large open-air festival where alcohol is being served. The judges observed that it would be extremely difficult for a limited police force to control a crowd where a large number of attendees could be intoxicated. The bench pointed out that managing such a situation proactively was far more important than responding after an incident had already occurred.
The court remarked that the law does not promote the idea of people consuming alcohol and moving around openly in large public gatherings. It expressed strong reservations about the wisdom of granting a liquor licence for an event expected to host nearly 40,000 people in an open space. According to the bench, such permission inherently increases risks related to crowd control, safety, and public disorder.
The observations were made during a hearing where advocates Karl Tamboly and Mustafa Kachwala, appearing for the festival organisers, informed the court that all necessary permissions had been obtained for the event, which commenced on Friday afternoon. They also detailed the security arrangements in place, stating that more than 250 CCTV cameras had been installed, over 500 private security personnel were deployed, police officers were present both in uniform and plain clothes, and seven ambulances with around 70 medical staff were stationed at the venue.
Despite these assurances, the High Court remained unconvinced. The bench reiterated that even extensive security arrangements might not be sufficient to guarantee safety when alcohol is served at such a large-scale event. The judges questioned how organisers and authorities would identify intoxicated individuals, what tools or mechanisms would be used to assess sobriety, and how issues such as overcrowding and physical contact among thousands of attendees would be effectively prevented.
The court also took note of the broader safety implications raised in the petition. The hearing stemmed from a Public Interest Litigation filed by Mumbai resident Chintamani Sarang, who highlighted the proximity of the festival venue to large petroleum storage tanks in Wadala. The petitioner argued that allowing alcohol consumption in such a sensitive area could pose serious risks in the event of an accident or emergency.
While the High Court clearly flagged multiple safety and law-and-order concerns, it deliberately refrained from passing an immediate prohibitory order stopping the sale of liquor at the festival. Instead, it left the final call to the state government, advising it to re-examine the decision in light of the risks highlighted and to prioritise preventive measures to ensure public safety.
