The Patna High Court on Friday cancelled  the Bihar government’s controversial Prohibition of Liquor Act, calling it illegal. This is not ‘good news’ for boozers, rather, it is that the punishments given under this law were undemocratic and unconstitutional. Imagine that the penalty of possessing a bottle of liquor was more severe than penalty for a heinous crime like rape!

Mr Nitish Kumar, Bihar government had imposed this law on 1^st April but the law has been described as draconian by the critics.

After the state wide ban of liquor, it was available in black marketing.

And last month, 17 people had died because of consuming poisonous alcohol in Gopalganj in the eastern part of the state.

The opposition party and even some  police officials have been opposing the way this prohibition law is being misused to harass the common  people and police officials alike!

The court has struck down the new law because it was found to be violating to Article 14 and Article 21 of the constitution. As the law said   all adult members of the family could be arrested if liquor was found making, drinking selling and storing in any household.

It is not justice that  family members and the other people  be arrested for crimes that are not their own.

The state should allow manufacture and sale of IMFL, because it was the same Nitish Kumar who invited the big businessmen to open breweries in Bihar, so he cannot just shut them down on a whim after they have invested hundreds of crores!

(Prepared from media sources by Seema Kumari)

  Bihar, Nitish Kumar, Prohibition of liquor