Bihar Officials Love Liquor Ban, for Them it Means Big Money, says Patna HC

Patna: Patna High Court has scolded Bihar government officials over liquor ban in state, observing that y love liquor ban since it means "big money" for m.

court also said that police are working in tandem with liquor smugglers and poor are bearing brunt of law.

Bihar Officials Love Liquor Ban

Bihar government enacted a law in April 2016 prohibiting manufacture, tre, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor in state.

However, despite stringent provisions of Act, transport of liquor and hooch deaths have been reported a number of times since n.

“Not only police officials, excise officials, but also officers of State Tax department and transport department love liquor ban, for m it means big money. prohibition has, in fact, given rise to unauthorised tre of liquor and or contraband items,” Justice Purnendu Singh said in an order.

“ draconian provisions have become handy for police, who are in tandem with smugglers,” Patna High Court judge said while quashing a demotion order issued against a police inspector on ground that he was negligent in implementing prohibition law.

order came in response to a writ petition filed by Mukesh Kumar Paswan, station house officer (SHO) at Patna Bypass police station.

Paswan was suspended after excise department officials found foreign-me liquor in his possession during a raid. He was n demoted in 2020 following a general directive issued by state government.

court order said, “A few cases are registered against kingpins or syndicate operators involved in liquor smuggling, compared to vast number of cases against poor who consume liquor or fall victim to hooch tragedies. Largely, it is poor of state who bear brunt of this Act”.

Article 47 of Constitution mandated duty of State to raise standards of living and to improve public health at large and Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, was enacted with this objective, “but for several reasons, it finds itself on wrong side of history”, order said.

lives of majority of poor section of state who are facing wrath of Act are daily wagers who are only earning members of ir family, it said.

Investigating Officer in case did not offer any documentary evidence to substantiate allegations me by prosecution against accused SHO, court said ding that liquor mafia also go scot-free due to want of evidence.

high court found this form of punishment to be predetermined, reducing entire departmental proceedings to a formality.

bench, in its October 29 order, quashed punishment order and also annulled entire departmental proceeding initiated against petitioner.