Patna: Two days after the Patna High Court set aside the ban on liquor in Bihar, the Nitish Kumar government brought into play the controversial Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 — the new law which critics have called draconian for its penalties which are stricter than the earlier amendments to the Bihar Excise Act, 1915.
After the court order, Mr Kumar — an ardent champion of prohibition, who had brought in the law on April 5 following his victory in the state assembly elections — had called a cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss implementation of the new liquor law.
But with the court calling the penal provisions of the old law “unreasonable and draconian”, the BJP had warned that the state government should rethink the notification of the new Excise Law that was scheduled for October 2, NDTV reported.
The Excise law, passed by the state assembly in early August, had drawn much criticism. Many had called it draconian in view of provisions like punishment of an entire family of an adult found drinking and severe penalties for policemen found lax in prohibition enforcement.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced that the state government will appeal against the order in the Supreme Court and said it is open to any suggestion regarding any provisions of the new law.
In an opinion piece written exclusively for ndtv.com in August, Mr Kumar had offered an elaborate defense of the policy, declaring it as “transformational” and vowing that unlike other states, Bihar’s prohibition law would be neither “symbolic or partial.”
But since prohibition was imposed, more than 13,000 people have been jailed in the state for possessing or selling liquor.
Even so, chiefs of 11 police stations were suspended after the government felt they had been unable to properly implement the law. Later, as senior police officers refused to take up leadership positions over the issue, the irate Chief Minister announced that anyone who doesn’t want to work “was free to go”.