Liquor ban: Over 200,000 cases pile-up, irked Patna HC raps Bihar govt

The HC has asked the Bihar government to explain the details of the infrastructure and mechanism it plans to develop to deal with mounting prohibition-related cases

Latest News: Bihar government’s alcohol ban in the state may or may not have delivered desired results yet, but the move has put a huge burden on the judiciary.

The judiciary, already burdened with a large number of pending cases, has to now settle over 200,000 prohibition-related cases, including nearly 40,000 bail petitions pending with the Patna High Court. The HC has asked Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to explain the details of the infrastructure and mechanism it plans to develop to deal with mounting prohibition-related cases, according to a news report in The Times of India.

“In how many such cases has the state government appealed the high court’s order in the Supreme Court?,” a bench asked advocate general Lalit Kishore. In reply, the advocate general said the state government had moved the SC on several occasions but he didn’t mention the number of cases. The bench also sought to know what action the Bihar government has taken to pursue the cases filed in the SC challenging the enforcement of prohibition in the state…

Will UP under Adityanath go the Bihar way and ban liquor?

There have been violent anti-liquor protests led by women across cities and smaller towns in UP

 

Following the Supreme Court (SC) directive to shut down liquor vending and serving within the 500-metre radius along the highways, coupled with the rising spate of violent anti-liquor protests led by women across cities and smaller towns in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the last few days, the state could possibly be slowly going the Bihar way in prohibiting liquor.

The incumbent Yogi Adityanath government has already issued stern directives to the district and police authorities to adhere to the SC and high court orders with regards to sale of liquor and take punitive action against liquor shops flouting the rules.

To add another dimension to this development, UP has been witnessing furious street protests in major towns and semi-urban centres by local residents with a fair and active participation by women against liquor retail shops in Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Gonda, Kushinagar, Saharanpur, Auraiyya and others.

Owing to the SC order, the liquor shops have started shifting away from the highways and settling in the midst of populated pockets, posing fresh challenges for local people and also maintenance of public order, safety and health.

Demands are already being made in the state to prohibit sale of liquor in UP on the lines of Bihar, where the Nitish Kumar government had promulgated Excise Act 2016 proclaiming prohibition in April 2016.

The act contains provisions to punish anyone carrying liquor and raid suspected premises. The law declares 11 years jail for offenders, while adult members of a household could be punished if liquor is found in their premises. The ban on liquor had been one of the most populist pre-poll promises by Nitish in the run up to Bihar poll, and even in the face of stiff opposition and criticism, he has stayed put with the ban.

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