Hooch Tragedy: MP Cabinet Gives Nod To Death Penalty Proposal In Spurious Liquor Cases

The stricter provisions have been added in the amendments to discourage people involved in illegal liquor trade and lives of people could be saved

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Bhopal: In a bid to tighten the noose on liquor mafia, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved amendments to the state Excise Act recommending capital punishment and life imprisonment in the cases related to deaths caused by the consumption of spurious liquor.

What does the proposed amendment entail?

The approval comes amid the death of at least 11 people who had allegedly consumed spurious liquor in Mandsaur and Indore. The cabinet has approved the Madhya Pradesh Excise Amendment Act 2021 under which the provisions of life imprisonment and the death penalty have been made in the cases related to deaths due to spurious liquor.  

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“A provision of Rs 20 lakh fine in such cases has also been made in the amendment,” Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra informed the post-cabinet meeting.

 It is expected to become a law once approved by the state Legislative Assembly and subsequent assent of the governor.

What is the reason behind the proposed amendment?

The amendments are introduced to curb crimes related to the illegal liquor trade and deaths caused due to spurious liquor, according to Mishra. Under the present law, convicts are sentenced to imprisonment of five to a maximum of 10 years in cases related to deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor. The amount of fine is up to Rs 10 lakh.

 “This law is being made more stringent through this amendment,” Mishra added. It is to be noted that in cases of "physical damage" caused to victims after drinking spurious liquor, the penalty has been increased ranging from 10 years to a maximum of 14 years from the present one year to six years, in addition to fine up to Rs 10 lakh.

Also, in case of seizure of spurious liquor, the jail term has been increased up to six to 10 years from the present six months to a maximum of four years. The minister also added that the amendments also suggest that people who attack the police and Excise department teams at the time of seizing illicit liquor will be arrested without a warrant.

The scope of punishment has been increased in several other provisions through this amendment proposal, he said. Such provisions are meant to discourage people involved in the illegal liquor trade and the lives of people could be saved, they pointed out.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to grant the "heritage" status to liquor made from Mahua flowers in a bid to bring it into the mainstream, an official release said.

The rules for the controlled manufacture and sale of this liquor will be framed by the department. “This will encourage small-scale Mahua liquor industries. Rights of tribals, as mentioned in Act, will be preserved without change,” it said.

In a bid to prevent smuggling and illegal trade of liquor, the Madhya Pradesh government also decided to fix QR-coded holograms with over 20 security features on booze bottles.