Chandrapur: The bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik at the Bombay high court in Mumbai on Monday clubbed all the PILs filed by social workers and organizations challenging state government’s decision to repeal liquor ban in Chandrapur district and transferred the matter to its Nagpur bench.
Liquor ban was imposed in Chandrapur district on April 1, 2015, based on the Sanjay Deotale committee recommendations. The state government repealed the ban vide a GR dated June 8, 2021, claiming that prohibition was a complete failure. The decision was based on report submitted by a committee headed by retired principal secretary Ramnath Jha.
Social worker Dr Abhay Bang, former MLA Wamanrao Chatap, social activist Devaji Tofa had filed public interest litigations (PILs) in the high court challenging the revocation of the prohibition.
Maharashtra Nashabandi Mandal, Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, Vasudha Sardar of Pune district and Ranjana Gawande of Ahmednagar too had filed PILs in this regard. The petitioners had separately filed these PILs through Uday Varunjikar, Nitin Deshpande and Ashutosh Dharmadhikari.
The pleas argue that Deotale committee as well as Jha committee had favoured the liquor ban in Chandrapur. Moreover, the petitioners termed it as “illegal” to repeal the prohibition when gram panchayats and gram sabhas across the district had passed resolutions seeking continuation of liquor ban in their areas.
“Maharashtra government considered only financial gains while revoking the ban even as law and order, public health, domestic violence and rise in crime and accidents were at stake,” the petitioners argued.
With the matter being sent to Nagpur bench, which had earlier dismissed a plea for cancellation of liquor ban, the prohibition issue is set to heat up again in political and social circles.
Desi pips IMFL, beer in Chanda
Tipplers have consumed over 94.34 lakh litres of liquor in nearly six months after the ban was lifted.
As per state excise department data, country liquor proved to the first choice of the bibulous people as 61.75 lakh litres of it was consumed during the period.
Indian-made foreign liquor trailed at the second position with sale of over 16.58 lakh litres. Beer turned out to be the least preferred drink with just over 15.64 lakh litres of this beverage being sold.
Also, 37,449 litres wine was consumed during the period.
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