Illegal consumption of liquor in ‘Dry Gujarat’ may land one in jail ranging from one to three years as the Gujarat Government is mulling to introduce a new prohibition Bill with stringent punishment in the State Assembly.
In the proposed Bill the State Government is working on stringent prohibition law. There would be provision of up to three years of imprisonment for consumption of liquor and in the case of bootlegging (illegal sale of alcohol), provision of seven to ten years of jail and Rs 5 lakh fine has been recommended for the guilty parties.
The new Bill also suggests suspension of those police officers, under whose areas illegal trade of liquor would happen. Even notices would be slapped to local MlAs and DSPs if bootlegging activities would occur in their constituencies and districts respectively.
“Sale, distribution and consumption of all kinds of liquor is prohibited under the Gujarat Prohibition Act. We will consult legal experts to identify loopholes in the present Act and then introduce a bill,” said a senior official with the State Home department.
The Gujarat Prohibition Act is liberal on those who consume liquor. In case one nabbed by police first time in liquor consumption case, he would be released instantly after a warning. If the same person would be caught with the similar charges, he would have option of bail. As a result of it, liquor prohibition in the state is virtually ineffective.
According to official figures presented in the State Assembly, liquor worth Rs250 crore was seized by police in the State that include country liquor worth Rs8.52 crore in the past five years. The figure of liquor sold in the state due to unabated bootlegging activities would be much bigger than that of seized liquor.
“We are working on making the law stringent. Almost the primary draft for the proposed bill has been completed. In order to finalize the draft, we would send it to the legal department. Once the legal department would give green signal, the bill will be introduced in the state assembly, in the last week of February 2017,” said the sources in the State Government.
Sources said that the State Government became proactive to make the liquor prohibition stringent following OBC Ekta Much’s agitation against addiction of liquor in the state capital Gandhinagar. In fact after listening OBC leaders including Alpesh Thakor, the state government had assured them to come out with the new bill on prohibition during budget session. The OBC leaders had demanded to make prohibition law in line with the North Indian State Bihar.