The Supreme Court on Monday gave a two-month window period for liquor manufacturers from Bihar to dispose their existing stock by July 31. Beyond this date, no manufacturer will be allowed to produce or sell liquor, the Court maintained.
Joined under the banner of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, the liquor manufacturers from Bihar approached the Vacation Bench of the Apex Court as the deadline for exhausting all stock was ending on May 31.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented the manufacturers, urged the Bench of Justices AK Sikri and Deepak Gupta to consider extending the time as huge stocks had piled up and since sale is prohibited in Bihar, the liquor traders needed time to dispose stocks in other States. Sibal argued that manufacturers will incur huge financial loss if the deadline is not extended.
The State Government opposed further extension of time. Advocate Keshav Mohan relied on the previous order passed by the Apex Court to suggest that the earlier deadline of April 30 was extended till May 31 at the behest of the traders. Any further extension, he added, would increase the illegal trade of liquor in the State.
The Bench told the Bihar counsel that nothing prevented the State from curbing on illegal trade, if it exists. “It is up to you (State) to check on illegal sale of liquor. We are only on the question of disposing existing stock,” added the Bench.
The Bench allowed the prayer of the petitioner association and extended the deadline from May 31 to July 31. The State further alleged that the order extending deadline will be used as a garb by manufacturers to defeat the State’s prohibition order by feeding the illegal liquor trade.
The Nitish Kumar Government had imposed complete ban on sale, manufacture or stocking of liquor from April 1 in the State.