PremiumThe Madhya Pradesh cabinet has approved a proposal prescribing capital punishment and life imprisonment in the cases related to deaths caused by the consumption of spurious liquor.
Besides, the amendments proposed to the state Excise Act also impose ₹20 lakh fine.
The Madhya Pradesh Excise Act (Madhya Pradesh Excise Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 will be introduced in the coming monsoon session of Legislative Assembly.
The move comes against the backdrop of the death of at least seven people after drinking spurious liquor in Mandsaur and Indore recently.
At present, convicts are sentenced to imprisonment of five to a maximum of ten years, and the penalty is up to ₹10 lakh in cases related to deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said 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 ₹10 lakh. "In case of seizure of spurious liquor, the jail term has been increased up to six to ten years from the present six months to maximum four years," he said.
Further, the state Excise Act amendments also propose that people who attack the police and Excise department teams while they are seizing illicit liquor will be arrested without a warrant.
“These provisions will discourage people involved in illegal liquor trade and lives of people could be saved," Mishra added.
This week only the Madhya Pradesh government decided to fix QR-coded holograms with over 20 security features on liquor bottles to stop smuggling and illegal trade.
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