Overview
- The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed Pernod Ricard’s challenge to the city’s refusal to renew its L‑1 wholesale licence, leaving the company barred from selling in the capital for now.
- Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said the pendency of investigations gives Pernod a “criminal background” under New Delhi municipal rules and makes it ineligible for a licence while prosecutions proceed.
- Pernod’s major brands, including Absolut Vodka and Chivas Regal, have been absent from Delhi stores since 2023 after repeated licence rejections tied to the 2021 excise‑policy probe.
- Separately, customs investigators have asked Pernod to pay about $314 million in back taxes for allegedly understating the value of imported Scotch concentrate and concealing malt age and composition, with penalties potentially pushing liability above $600 million.
- Pernod India denies wrongdoing, says it was not given access to key pricing data and is pursuing legal remedies; the rulings threaten sales in a market that is the company’s largest by volume and could materially affect its India revenue.