Patna: The excise department of Bihar has mooted a proposal to exclude sacramental wine, used in churches, from wine category.

If the proposal materializes, church authorities would not have to seek license for its production in the eastern India state where total prohibition was enforced on April 5 this year.

Commissioner, excise and prohibition department, Aditya Kumar Das said the proposal is being discussed by the experts.

“For now, we have withdrawn the license issued to a church for manufacturing sacramental wine as it is in contradiction to the total prohibition enforced in the state,” the commissioner said, adding that it would be too early to comment on the proposal as a new draft would be tabled in the monsoon session of the state legislature commencing from July 29 for amendments.

Excise assistant commissioner-cum-public relation officer O P Mandal said sacramental wine is basically grape fruit juice and experts are discussing ways to exclude it from wine category, The Times of India reported.

Assistant excise commissioner, Patna, Krishna Kumar said after Patna district magistrate’s written orders on July 20 based on the proposal of excise commissioner, the license to the church was withdrawn.

He said that Xavier Teachers Training Institute in Digha Ghat, a western suburb of Patna, was issued the license for producing 4,500 liters of sacramental wine per annum. “The wine produced in Digha was supplied to around 150 churches across the state,” he added.

He said under the existing Excise Act, a provision has been made to issue license for manufacturing of alcoholic beverage for religious purposes.