SC asks Punjab to immediately adopt strict measures on illegal liquor
Dec 15, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 15 : The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Government of Punjab to immediately adopt strict measures to address the large-scale manufacture and sale of illicit liquor in the State.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar asked the counsel appearing for the Punjab government, "Have you seen Bihar today? This is exactly what we want to avoid."
The apex court was referring to the Bihar hooch tragedy in the Saran district that has claimed the lives of 39 people so far.
The counsel of the Punjab government said that State has already taken steps in the right direction because of this court's indulgence.
"We have implemented all the directions issued by this court, including issuing a circular holding local police accountable if illegal 'bhatthis' are found. We have conducted awareness campaigns, and appointed informers who will be rewarded," the Punjab government told the top court.
The counsel appearing for the petitioner told the top court that the primary concern is that only low-level persons are being arrested by the police and the people actually manufacturing and supplying the liquor are escaping the police scanner.
"Let us see how it progresses. We will monitor it," the bench said while posting and the matter for hearing in February.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had come down heavily on the Punjab government over the inaction in dealing with the large-scale manufacture and sale of illicit liquor in the State and said the drugs and alcohol problem is a serious issue in Punjab.
It had asked the Punjab government to list out specific steps to curb the menace of manufacturing and sale of illegal liquor.
The apex had court that Punjab is a border state and "if somebody wants to finish the country, they will start with the borders."
It had added, "They have to take every effort to save the country, it is very easy to ruin the youth by drugs, by this... extra caution has to be taken."
It was hearing a petition against a September 2020 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposing of a petition seeking the transfer of some FIRs registered in Punjab with regard to the alleged sale and inter-state smuggling of spurious liquor to the CBI.
The High Court had disposed of the petition after the state assured that concerns raised by the petitioners would be duly addressed and suitable action taken, if necessary.
