Prohibition in states

Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on November 26, 2015, had announced that alcohol will be banned in the state from April 1, 2016. Kumar officially declared the total ban on April 5, 2016, and stated that “all type of liquor would be banned in the state and sale of any type of alcohol in hotels, bars, clubs and any other place will be illegal.” After Gujarat, Nagaland and Mizoram, Bihar has now become the fourth state where liquor sale and consumption has been banned. Only the army cantonments, which are run with their own rules will continue to have liquor served. Banning the sale of liquor was one of the main poll promises of the Grand Alliance government in the Bihar state assembly elections. Bihar has a very high number of alcoholics, especially in rural areas, where the poor spend a large part of their income on country liquor, leading to rise in domestic violence.

Gujarat

Gujarat has a sumptuary law in force that proscribes the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The legislation has been in force since May 1, 1960 when Bombay state dissolved into Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949 is still in force in both states, however, the licensing regime in Maharashtra is quite liberal with granting licenses to vendors and traders. Gujarat is the only Indian state with a death penalty for makers and sellers of homemade liquor where fatalities are caused. The legislation, titled ‘the Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2009,’ was prompted by numerous deaths resulting from the consumption of methyl alcohol. Predictably, smuggling and illicit sale of alcohol are very common in Gujarat. “Folder” is a slang term of unknown origin, used in Gujarat to refer to a bootlegger who delivers alcohol on-demand. Foreigners and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are able to purchase 30-day liquor permits in the state.

Kerala

After a long persuasion from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President V M Sudheeran, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, on August 24, 2014, announced that the state will implement prohibition in a phased manner. The decision was supported by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress. Liquor bars in Kerala had to renew licences every year; the state government did not license any bar on March 31, 2014, resulting in the closure of 418 bars. The state government also declared its intention of not renewing licences of the remaining 313 bars in the state next year. The state-owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) has 338 shops, and BEVCO will shut down 10 per cent of them every year. Consumerfed, which has 46 shops, will also be closed. However, sale of alcohol continues to be permitted in five-star hotels in Kerala.

Manipur

Prohibition was enforced in Manipur by the RK Ranbir Singh government with effect from April 1, 1991. In 2002, the Okram Ibobi Singh government lifted prohibition in the five hill districts of Manipur. The state Legislative Assembly passed the Manipur Liquor Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2002 on July 31, 2002 lifting prohibition in the districts of Chandel, Churachandpur, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul. Chief Minister Ibobi Singh had earlier stated in the state assembly that the government was looking at the option of lifting prohibition. in the state. Prohibition is now enforced in Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts of Manipur. Local brews called ‘ashaba’ and ‘atingba’ are available in most areas, and authorities usually ignore their sale and consumption.

Nagaland

The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act (NLTP) banned the sale and consumption of alcohol on April 1, 1989, but the enforcement of the ban is lax and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is readily available. Authorities generally turn a blind eye towards illegal sales. Reports have stated that some police officials themselves engage in bootlegging. The Congress party has termed prohibition a “total failure” and has pleaded for it to be revoked. The government of the days in the state for the last many years have faced conflicting pulls and pressures on the question to lift the total prohibition in the state or to continue with the Act. Several top militants have reportedly become bootleggers in Dimapur, the crime hub of the Northeast. There are also thousands of booze joints in Kohima and Dimapur alone where liquors of all brands are sold openly. Local brews like ‘Zutho’ are exempted from prohibition.

Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep completely bans the sale and consumption of alcohol. Lakshadweep Prohibition Regulation 1979 extends to whole of the Union Territory. As per Section 3 of the Regulation, the import, export, transportation, possession and manufacture of liquor or any intoxicating drugs is completely prohibited in all the islands. Being an international Tourist Centre, Bangaram is exempted. Bangaram is an uninhabited island, but the Bangaram Island Resort has a bar. All the offences under the Lakshadweep Prohibition Regulation are cognisable and the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, with respect to cognisable offences apply to offenders.