Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store in Pune named ‘New Shop’
The Bombay high court on
Tuesday restrained Pune police from coercing a 24x7 provision store to close by
11.00pm. Such stores are necessary to achieve progress commensurate with global
standards, the division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Advait Sethna said,
noting that there was neither any legal bar on stores remaining open round the
clock, not had the state imposed any restriction on such stores.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store in Pune named ‘New Shop’. The firm, which plans to open a chain of 24x7 convenience stores across the country, alleged that police officials in Kondhwa, Pune were exercising power arbitrarily and coercing the shop to down its shutters between 10pm and 11pm every day.
The firm said it had obtained all requisite permissions under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017. It had also sought details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding restrictions on store timings from the industries, energy, and labour department, but did not get any response, following which it approached the high court.
In court, the industries, energy and labour department clarified that as per the Shops and Establishments Act, 2017, there was no embargo on keeping provision stores open round the clock. The Kondhwa police conceded that oral orders seeking the store’s closure at night were issued out of confusion regarding prevailing rules and regulations and concerns about law and order.
The court said there was no justification whatsoever for the Kondhwa police to impose any restrictions on the store’s timings.
“The concept of 24x7 shops of such nature is a popular concept worldwide. It brings convenience, ease and flexibility to the consumers to make purchases, more particularly for the persons with non-standard working hours,” the court said, paving the way for the store to remain open round-the-clock.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store in Pune named ‘New Shop’
The court was hearing a petition filed by Accelerate Product Venture, a start-up which has a 24x7 store in Pune named ‘New Shop’. The firm, which plans to open a chain of 24x7 convenience stores across the country, alleged that police officials in Kondhwa, Pune were exercising power arbitrarily and coercing the shop to down its shutters between 10pm and 11pm every day.
The firm said it had obtained all requisite permissions under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017. It had also sought details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding restrictions on store timings from the industries, energy, and labour department, but did not get any response, following which it approached the high court.
In court, the industries, energy and labour department clarified that as per the Shops and Establishments Act, 2017, there was no embargo on keeping provision stores open round the clock. The Kondhwa police conceded that oral orders seeking the store’s closure at night were issued out of confusion regarding prevailing rules and regulations and concerns about law and order.
The court said there was no justification whatsoever for the Kondhwa police to impose any restrictions on the store’s timings.
“The concept of 24x7 shops of such nature is a popular concept worldwide. It brings convenience, ease and flexibility to the consumers to make purchases, more particularly for the persons with non-standard working hours,” the court said, paving the way for the store to remain open round-the-clock.
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