Photo Source: BJP’s Jagmohan Singh Raju's Facebook account
BJP’s Jagmohan Singh Raju accuses AAP Govt of diluting liqour ban in Amritsar despite ‘Holy City’ tag
Harshabab Sidhu
Amritsar (Punjab), November 25, 2025: Senior BJP leader and former IAS officer Dr. Jagmohan Singh Raju has criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that its decision to declare Amritsar a “Holy City” is nothing more than a political “drama.” He accused the government of simultaneously weakening long-standing liquor restrictions in the historic walled city.
Raju said that under the Punjab Liquor License Rules, 1956, the entire walled city had been under liquor prohibition for decades. However, the state government has now replaced that framework with a new rule that restricts liquor sales only within a 200-metre radius of the Golden Temple. He termed this change a “regressive step” and an “insult to religious sentiments.”
According to Raju, the decision came after the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued notice on a PIL filed by the K.S. Raju Legal Trust, demanding complete prohibition of liquor, tobacco, and meat across Amritsar, along with full “Holy City” status for the entire district.
He further alleged that the government contradicted its own submissions in court, where it had previously referred to the 1956 rules as justification for existing prohibition and argued that a total ban was not viable due to revenue requirements and the needs of the hotel industry.
Raju has now urged the state government to reinstate the original prohibition rules, declare the entire city a Holy City, and implement a complete liquor ban across Amritsar before the next High Court hearing scheduled for December 16, 2025.