Delhi's liquor policy U-turn: Problems that interrupted the private party

“The buzz was missing from the club last evening,” says the president of a popular club in Central Delhi that serves liquor. Two birthday parties that were scheduled for Monday were put off, he says, and the number of people who usually come to the club to unwind after work was much lower. 

Monday was the first day when clubs and restaurants in Delhi had to refuse alcohol to visitors as the state government’s new excise policy was scrapped and there was no clarity on the way forward. Private liquor retail stores also remained shut. The new policy had allowed