Glenary’s, the iconic restaurant in Darjeeling, will be allowed to sell liquor during Christmas and New Year following an interim order passed by Calcutta High Court (Jalpaiguri circuit bench) on Wednesday.

District excise officials had suspended its bar licence for three months from December 9. They cited irregularities related to accounts, storage of liquor on unauthorised premises and deviation from approved plans with regard to alcohol storage. They also referred to section 239 of the West Bengal Excise (Foreign Liquor) Rules, 1998, that deals with permission for live music in bars, and stopped live band performances at Glenary’s.

Justice Amrita Sinha passed an interim order on Wednesday staying the bar licence suspension, and allowed the sale of liquor at Glenary’s from Wednesday to January 12, 2026.

“The respondent authority is directed to de-seal the storage which has been sealed by the authority forthwith latest by 5 p.m. today (24.12. 2025),” the order stated.

The Glenary’s management, which had moved court challenging the liquor clampdown, did not press for live band in the restaurant. Hence, the court only provided relief on liquor sale.

The court, however, stated that every ounce of liquor sold must be properly accounted.

Glenary’s, which is almost 150 years old, has a bakery, restaurant and resto-bar in the same building. Liquor is served at the restaurant and resto-bar.

The court in its order observed: “There is no reason as to why the fun and merry making festival spirit be dampened by non-serving of liquor in the restaurant premises. The sale of liquor will also amount to generation of revenue to the State.”

The suspension of the bar licence at Glenary’s had come a day after Ajoy Edwards, who, along with his family, owns the famed eatery, and also helms the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF), had played a pivotal role in building a bridge named “Gorkhaland” in Darjeeling.

Edwards had said bar licence suspension was politically motivated. However, authorities had dismissed the charge and said that the inquiry had started in October.

Edwards said: “The state government even approached the division bench so that I do not get a relief on my appeal , but invain. All this move by the state government for a bar.”