Liquor ban: Bihar Govt. moves SC against Patna HC order

Patna (Bihar) [India], Oct. 3 (ANI): The Bihar Government on Monday moved the Supreme Court against the Patna High Court's order on liquor ban in the state. The apex court will hear the matter on October 7. A High Court bench of Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Navaniti Singh struck down the state government's April 5 notification banning sale of liquor earlier on Friday. The High Court had termed the notification "unconstitutional, draconian and unwarranted" in a civilised society. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday said that liquor ban would be reinforced in the state, and if needed, his government would approach the Supreme Court on the matter. Nitish said the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act 2016 came in force from yesterday, adding total liquor ban will continue in the state. He said that financial condition of the people has been strengthened and behavioural social change across the state is being seen after imposition of liquor ban. Asserting that liquor consumption is a social stigma, Nitish said that prohibition would improve the society. The Chief Minister said that one should see how peaceful the environment has become in some villages after the prohibition was introduced, adding there was utter chaos earlier. The Patna High Court earlier on September 30 declared the liquor ban in Bihar illegal. The new Act re-imposed by the state government contains harsher provisions such as making all adults culpable in case a liquor-related offence is committed in a house and imposition of community penalty in case of repeated offence of manufacturing liquor or trading in it in a village. Some of the old provisions that would find place in the new law are penalising someone for allowing the use of premises for a liquor-related offence, penalising a company and everyone in charge of its affairs if the offender is a company, and fining the owner of a house from where utensils meant for making liquor are found. (ANI)