The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar today circulated Excise Amendment Bill in the Assembly with more stringent measures to enforce prohibition law, which includes putting behind bars all adult members of a family in case liquor was found from their house.
The proposed Excise Amendment Bill which intends to provide more teeth to the existing prohibition law was circulated among members on the opening day of five-day monsoon session for their comments.
The draft has already been cleared by the Nitish Kumar Cabinet and the government aims at getting it approved by the Assembly in the current monsoon session itself.
Opposition BJP has described this provision as "draconian" said it would protest it.
The amendment has incorporated a stringent provision that if liquor or any other intoxicant is found, consumed, manufactured or sold from a house, all the members above 18 years of age would be liable for punishment, which will include sending them behind bars.
The 44-page draft of Excise Amendment Bill also has stern punishment for giving illegal advertisement in support of liquor or other intoxicant.
It said whosoever gives advertisement in media, which includes Film and TV, or from any social platform advertises directly or obliquely about liquor or intoxicant, would face a jail term of five year or Rs 10 lakh penalty or both.
It further has a provision of life sentence for those engaging minor below age of 18 year or a woman for sale, hide, transportation and distribution of intoxicant.
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It also has punishment of three-year jail term and a
penalty of Rs 1 lakh, or both, for excise officials who harass somebody in the name of search under prohibition without a solid basis of suspicion.
The Bill has a clause for imposing collective penalty.
The draft says if a collector, excise official or police find that any group or community of any village, a city or any area within such village or city habitually violate prohibition laws or become a hurdle in its implementation a collective penalty could be imposed in such a situation.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters the provision of putting all adult members above 18 years of age of a family behind the bars in case of seizure of liquor was "draconian" and his party would protest it.
He further alleged the government brought the Amendment Bill "without wider consultation with all political parties".
Chief minister Nitish Kumar told reporters the Bill has been brought to make prohibition law more stringent.
He said the legislation against liquor was a social issue and not a political one and valid suggestion of all members were welcome.
