Page 2 - Liquor Sale

ED arrests two in money laundering case linked to Chhattisgarh liquor scam

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has arrested two liquor businessmen in connection with its money laundering probe into an alleged excise scam of Chhattisgarh that is estimated to have generated over Rs 2,100 crore of slush funds. Arvind Singh and Trilok Singh Dhillon were arrested on July 1 at the central jail in Raipur and later a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court sent them to ED custody till July 6, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The two were lodged in jail after the Chhattisgarh Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested them in the case sometime back. The money laundering case of the ED stemmed from an EOW/ACB FIR filed in January and had named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, former chief secretary Vivek Dhand and others. The alleged scam, where the ED has pegged the proceeds of crime at Rs 2,161 crore, purportedly took place between 2019-2022 when the Congress was in power in

Child labourers at India's Som liquor unit worked 11 hrs a day: Govt

In the Som inspection report, the state government said the children working there were not given training on how they could protect themselves from harmful chemicals

TN amends law after deaths, enhances punishment for illicit liquor sale

Days after the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in the state that claimed over 60 lives, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday amended a prohibition act to substantially enhance the punishment, which included life imprisonment for bootleggers in case of fatalities following consumption of spurious liquor. The state government amended the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937 to enhance the punishment term and quantum of fine for offences like manufacture, possession and selling of illicit liquor that endangers lives. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2024, which shall come into force on such date as notified by the government, aims to completely eradicate the menace of illicit liquor from the state. The amendment substantially enhances the term of imprisonment and quantum of fine for various offences under sections 4,5,6,7 and 11 of the Act. Accordingly, a maximum punishment of 10 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh has been proposed in the amendment.

Delhi govt to soon open liquor vends at IGI Airport for domestic flyers

The Delhi government is likely to soon open liquor vends at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport serving domestic flyers after nearly two years of obstruction due to scrapping of its excise policy 2021-22, official sources said on Tuesday. The excise policy 2021-22 was scrapped by the Kejriwal government after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation in 2022. After scrapping of the excise policy 2021-22, the retail liquor sale in the city was handed over to the four agencies of the Delhi government that was earlier handled by private licensees. Sources said the Delhi government's agency DCCWS (Delhi Consumers' Cooperative Wholesale Store Limited) is going to open its liquor shop at T3 terminal's arrival section by July. Another store is likely to come up at T1 terminal's departure area later, they said. The earlier attempts of the government agencies to open liquor vends at the domest

Haryana's new excise policy spurs 20% hike in liquor prices in Gurugram

Haryana government has successfully auctioned 162 excise zones in Gurugram, garnering Rs 1,756 crore

Pune car crash: Action against bars affecting livelihood, employees protest

In the wake of action against pubs and bars by the local administration in Pune following the car crash incident involving a teenager, scores of employees from such establishments on Friday held protests here, stating they were losing their livelihood due to it. "We are facing the brunt of the fault of two bars," said an employee of a bar. Approximately 2,500 employees along with the owners of bars and pubs gathered at the Raja Bahadur Mills near Pune station area. After the Kalyaninagar incident, the district administration is taking action against several pubs and bars. As many as 32 such establishments in different parts of Pune faced action following orders from the Pune Collector. One of the women employees, who took part in the protest said, those pubs that are violating the rules should be punished. An employee at a pub in Mundhwa area said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they suffered a lot. "Now after the accident, we are again made to suffer. We have our families to

Pune case: Set limit on serving alcohol as customers drive home, says court

A local court hearing the luxury car accident case on Tuesday remanded three accused in police custody till May 24, and directed the pub and bar operators to decide a limit on how much liquor should be served to their customers as the latter use their own vehicles to drive back home afterwards. The court remanded the three accused - an owner and two managers of different restaurants - in police custody in the case of a car accident allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy that claimed the lives of two persons in the early hours of Sunday. While seeking their custody for seven days, the prosecution told the court that the establishments owned or managed by the accused served liquor to the boy and his friends without confirming his age. Expressing concern over the loss of two lives in the accident, the judge, while remanding the three accused into police custody, came down heavily on the pub and bar operators. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the accused juvenile along .

MCC, and restrictions force drinkers to opt for local liquor brands

With state governments tightening their grip over liquor and Lok Sabha election restrictions creating supply chain disruptions, local brands are flooding the market

UP govt considering bars in Noida, Ghaziabad to stay open till 4 am

Bars in the two cities are allowed till 1 am now, whereas those in Gurgaon and Faridabad are permitted to stay open until 3 am

Premiumisation spurs domestic spirits market to record highs post-pandemic

Since FY21, the annual sales of spirits in India have surpassed the combined consumption of prominent European markets such as the UK, France, and Spain

LS elections: TDP woos booze lovers with quality liquor at reduced prices

"We will reduce prices of commodities," may be the standard refrain of every political party fighting an election. However, in Andhra Pradesh, opposition TDP is wooing the avid booze lover with the promise of better quality spirit at reduced prices, if voted to power. Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are scheduled in the southern state on May 13. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) the main opposition, is also accusing the YSRCP Government of setting excessively high prices that do not align with the quality of the liquor. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu consistently emphasizes, among others, the issue during his campaign, alleging that the state has been supplying poor quality liquor while profiting immensely from 'inflated' prices, running to thousands of crores of rupees. According to reports, the state government netted nearly Rs 24,000 crore through excise revenue in 2022-23 against over Rs 17,000 crore in 2019-20. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP was voted to power in ...

LS polls: Liquor shops to remain closed for 3 days from April 17 in Pondy

All liquor, toddy, arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor will remain closed for three days from April 17 in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions in view of Lok Sabha polls slated to be held on April 19 in the union territory. A notification of the Puducherry State Gazette said that the Lieutenant Governor has issued an order directing closure of the shops, clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor to ensure "fair and peaceful polls in the Union Territory". The notification also said that all these shops and restaurants, bars and clubs would also remain closed on June 4 on account of counting of the votes. Another notification from the government said that as Kerala goes to the polls on April 26, all liquor, toddy and arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor would remain closed in Mahe region from April 24 to 26 to ensure fair peaceful polls and on June 4, the day of counting of votes. Mahe is an enclave of Puducherry in ..

Pragya Thakur says BJP MLA running illegal liquor shop, demands his removal

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur has accused her party legislator Sudesh Rai was running a liquor shop illegally in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district and expressed concern over the safety of women and girls. She has also demanded Rai's removal from the MLA's post. When contacted, Rai told the mediapersons to themselves inquire into Thakur's allegations. Thakur, who has been denied renomination from Bhopal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, on Monday night said she was on a visit to areas under her constituency to launch development works when some girls came to her at Khajuria Kala and complained a liquor outlet was being run in front of their school. "The girls were sad and teary-eyed, they complained that people gather at the liquor shop, make comments on them. They told me they are not safe and anything can happen to them. Some women said people enter their houses after consuming liquor," the BJP leader added. She claimed a police sub-inspector who was present th

U'khand govt approves new excise policy, sets revenue target of Rs 4,440 cr

The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved the state's new excise policy setting a revenue target of Rs 4,440 crore for 2024-25. The target for the next fiscal set by the cabinet is 11 per cent more than that of the current financial year (2023-24) which stood at Rs 4000 crore. The decision to approve the new excise policy was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi told reporters. The new excise policy will boost the state's revenue by high quality, aromatic liquor production using the Himalayan state's rich herbal and floral wealth, the fruits grown here and its multiple water resources, she said. It will also enhance the income of farmers in the state, the chief secretary said. It makes provision for a micro distillation unit in the hills to promote innovation and investment in the field in hilly areas, she said. The new policy makes provisions for the first time for the bottling of foreign liqu

Liquor set to cost more in Tamil Nadu from Feb 1: Check all the details

Tasmac said the price of 180 ml of regular and medium-quality liquor will be raised by Rs 10. For 180 ml of high-quality liquor, there is a price increase of Rs 20

Sanjay Singh created special purpose vehicle in excise policy case: ED

Sanjay Singh is one of the key conspirators in the Delhi Liquor Scam. Sanjay Singh is closely associated with number of accused/suspects in this case

Ram Mandir inauguration: These states will not sell liquor on January 22

Ahead of the Ram mandir consecration ceremony, governments of several states have prohibited the sale of liquor. Check out the full list here

Complete ban on liquor sale in Noida, Greater Noida on Jan 22, orders DM

All liquor shops in Noida and Greater Noida will remain closed on January 22, according to an order issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration. The order, which also applies to military and paramilitary canteens, has been issued in view of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had, on January 9, called for a closure of all liquor outlets in the state for the temple consecration ceremony, which he had described as a "national festival". "In view of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, all country liquor, foreign liquor, beer, cannabis retail shops, premium retail vendors and model shops or bars in the city, military and paramilitary canteens, wholesale licensees and other excise licensees located in the district will remain closed on January 22," Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Maneesh Kumar Verma said. "The sale of all intoxicants (including bhang) will be completely closed on the sai

Indian single malts beat global brands, capture 53% sales in 2023: Report

The top Indian brands, which contributed to this milestone, included Amrut, Paul John, Radico Khaitan's Rampur, Indri, among others

Liquor bottle sales in Delhi rise 18% on year to 2.4 mn on New Year's Eve

Delhi recorded sales of 24 lakh liquor bottles on New Year's Eve, registering a nearly 18 per cent on-year growth from the corresponding date in 2022. According to official Excise department data, 3,99,60,509 (3.99 crore) liquor bottles were sold in December 2022 through a network of 520 shops. In December 2023, 4,97,80,240 (4.97 crore) bottles were sold from 635 vends. According to the data, 24,00,726 (24 lakh) liquor bottles were sold on New Year's Eve (December 31) -- the highest single-day sales during December 2023. December 31, 2022, witnessed sales of 20,30,664 (20.30 lakh) bottles -- also the highest single-day sales figure for that month. The second highest sales in December 2023 were recorded on Christmas Eve (December 24) when 19,42,717 (19.42 lakh) bottles were sold. On the same day in 2022, the data showed that 14,69,357 (14.69 lakh) bottles were sold. The data also showed that 17,79,379 (17.79 lakh) liquor bottles were sold on December 30, 2023, against 14,66,353 (1