Supreme Court suggests state border checks, regulation to curb illegal liquor deaths
The Supreme Court on Friday recommended a series of measures for states and Union territories to prevent deaths from spurious liquor consumption. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran emphasised a coordinated, multi-department approach to curb illegal manufacture, transportation and sale of illicit alcohol while quashing two Maharashtra Poison Rules.
The court noted that complete alcohol bans often drive the trade underground, increasing prevalence of lethal brews. Instead, it suggested breaking supply chains through strict state border monitoring by transport departments, strengthening excise and police coordination to identify local breweries, and tightening regulation of methanol used in spurious liquor production.
The verdict stressed implementing peripheral laws on procurement, manufacture, transportation and sale of liquor, along with monitoring of industrial units to prevent chemical solvents from being illegally diverted for illicit alcohol manufacturing.
