Highlighting the evils of consuming liquor, the Madras High Court has rapped policy makers who lifted prohibition, which was imposed in Tamil Nadu in the late 1930s by the erstwhile Madras Presidency headed by C Rajagopalachari.
Justice N Kirubakaran also dismissed a petition filed by an engineering student who was not permitted to write his semester VI examination due to lack of adequate attendance as he was under suspension due to consumption of alcohol during college hours.
"How liquor plays havoc in the lives of the people is clearly exhibited in this case and this court should blame only the policy makers, who lifted prohibition which was imposed in Tamil Nadu during the year 1938 by the then premier of Madras Presidency, Rajagopalachari," Justice Kirubakaran said in his recent order.
There were many cases of untimely death of persons leaving their families in the lurch, due to consumption of alcohol throughout Tamil Nadu, the judge said.
"... consumption of alcohol in Tamil Nadu is stated to be more than other states..," the judge said.
It was not only confined to adults but even to students spoiling their education and consequently their lives, justice Kirubakaran said, dismissing the plea which sought a direction to authorities to allow to him write the exam.
In 1971, the DMK government headed by M Karunanidhi lifted prohibition despite stiff opposition from many leaders, including Rajagopalachari and K Kamaraj, both former chief ministers.
He, however, brought back prohibition in 1974.
Dismissing the plea, the judge said "Consumption of alcohol, that too, by a student cannot be taken as an act of mistake, because he deliberately consumed alcohol during college hours and created ruckus among all the other college mates, thereby vitiating atmosphere in the class/campus.
"If the petitioner is allowed to continue this kind of act, definitely it would not be good in the interest of the institution and also to the students.
Therefore, the Tamil Nadu College of Engineering, Coimbatore, rightly suspended the petitioner and consequently, the petitioner could not get the required attendance for writing the VI semester (exam)."
The judge directed the Anna University to issue a circular to all colleges to include the condition in the admission prospectus itself that students shall not enter the colleges in an inebriated condition, "failing which they will be removed from the college and they will not be allowed inside the college campus, so that it will be a determent to the students.
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