The New Shop for 24×7 shopping for daily needs – closure timing – Mah Shops Act
Sectio 2 of the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017.
The petitioner’s new concept shop “The New Shop” for 24 x 7 shopping for daily needs is situated at Hadapsar, Pune, located in the jurisdiction of Respondent No.3. It is highly specialized network of 24 x7 convenience retail stores under the said brand name.
It is a startup recognized by the DPIIT of Ministry of Commerce and registered as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The police officers of the said police station are arbitrarily imposing the condition of closing hours beyond 10-11 p.m.
According to the petitioner, the Act nowhere provides or restricts closing hours qua such convenience stores.
HELD that in contemporary times, the concept of 24 x 7 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. It is also believed to boost the economy by increased consumer spending, as also by creating additional employment opportunities, which is crucial for a large country like ours, where unemployment is a major challenge. It appears that recognizing such advantages and to achieve progress commensurate with the global standards, no restriction has been imposed by the State on the timings of such stores.
Judgment dated 1.4.2025 of the Division Bench of the High Court of Bombay in Writ Petition No.1169 of 2025 of Accelerate Products Ventures Pvt Ltd Vs. The State of Maharashtra and others
