Prohibition in Bihar has become tool for officials to make big money, says Patna High Court
The court said that for several reasons, the state’s law banning liquor ‘finds itself on the wrong side of history’.
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The Patna High Court has said that the law banning liquor in Bihar has “given rise to unauthorised trade of liquor and other contraband items” and has become a tool for government officials to make “big money”.
The sale and consumption of alcohol has been banned in the state since April 2016 under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act. However, instances of residents falling ill and dying after drinking spurious liquor are often reported from the state.
In an order on October 29, Justice Purnendu Singh said that the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act finds itself on the “wrong side of history” even though it was enacted keeping in mind Article 47 of the Constitution.
Article 47 says that the State should “endeavour to bring about prohibition” of intoxicating drinks and drugs, except for medicinal purposes. However, it is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy and is thus not legally binding.
The court made the observations while quashing a demotion order against Inspector Mukesh Kumar Paswan of the Bypass Police Station in Patna. He was demoted in November 2020 after “illicit foreign liquor” worth Rs 4 lakh was found in a raid at a godown conducted by the state excise department, according to Live Law.
The godown was located close to Paswan’s police...
