Giving cash memo by shopkeepers, and even asking for it by customers also, against purchase of liquor or beer has never been in practice at this liquor shop, and nowhere in the city at most of the liquor shops ever. So, when fifth customer asked for it at a liquor shop on HB Road in Ranchi on Friday evening, the shopkeeper not in a mood to be indulged in any heated arguments anymore further rang up the shop owner to come with cash memo book. Shop owner came hurriedly, asked his shopkeeper employee not to sell any beer or liquor above MRP, and not at all to sell any beer bottle in chilled form.
Thanks to Dumka Consumer Court which has given a verdict of its own kind, and after the verdict every third customer at a liquor shop was seen asking for a bill. Disposing of a case in which a customer had filed a complaint against a liquor shop selling five beer bottles to him above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), the court imposed a penalty of Rs 2,500 on the seller last week.
Interesting part of the verdict is that the penalty would go to Sri Sri Gaushala A/C in the city, and complainant Sanjeev Kumar Singh has been asked to take 10 litres of milk in all from Gaushala. The Judge disposing off this case said that the court heavily discouraged consumption of liquor, and it wanted to make sure that the complainant, a habitual drinker, must not ruin this money on purchasing liquor again.
Though the culprit in the case in light, super licensee of the shop Yogendra Tiwari said he accepts the decision with no further intention to challenge the verdict. But he also said that government was on a liquor ban spree indirectly by leaving no reason for traders to be in this business anymore. “I am fed up with this business. First of all, no one should consume liquor. Second, gone are the days when liquor trade was a milching cow. At one hand, government is discouraging liquor consumption (which always and undoubtedly is a welcome move). At the other hand, it forces the traders to sell at least certain quantity of liquor, failing to which it seizes the security amount. Both are not possible at the same time,” said Tiwari.
“No one invited them to be in this business (of selling liquor). And in no situation they will be allowed overpricing. It is illegal, it will remain illegal,” said Excise Commissioner Vinod Shankar Singh.
The convict said, “The victim is said to be an RTI enthusiast and is fond of filing cases like this and threatening shopkeepers.”