Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is facing criticism over hooch tragedies in the state, has called the people who consume liquor “Mahapaapi” (sinners) and said the state government cannot be made liable for providing relief to those who die after consuming toxic liquor.
Speaking in the Bihar Assembly after introduction and passage of an amendment bill that seeks to make the liquor ban less stringent for first-time offenders in the state, Kumar said even Mahatma Gandhi opposed liquor consumption and those who go against his principles are “Mahapaapi and Mahaayogya.” “I don’t consider these people Indians,” Kumar added.
The chief minister said people knew the consequences of consuming hooch and thus, they are responsible, not the state government. “It’s their fault. They consume liquor even after knowing that it could be toxic,” he said.
Under the amendment in the Bihar Liquor Prohibition Bill, 2022, there is a provision for first-time offenders to get bail from the duty magistrate after depositing a fine. In case the offender is not able to deposit the fine, he/she is liable to face one month in jail.
There is also a provision that when an offender is nabbed by the police for the ban violation, the accused has to disclose the name of the person from where liquor was obtained.
The Bihar Chief Minister imposed a liquor ban in April 2016 in the state through the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act. After the ban, a large number of people have been lodged in jails only for liquor consumption. The majority of the violators belong to economically weaker sections and the poor people. Even hearing for bail in simple cases is taking one year time in the courts.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana had said last year that the decisions like liquor ban of Bihar government in 2016 have put huge burden on courts. “There are three lakh cases pending in the courts. People are waiting for justice for a long time and now the excessive cases related to liquor violations put an additional burden on courts,” the CJI had said.
The Chief Minister has come under attack from both alliance partner BJP and opposition RJD following hooch tragedies in the state that claimed more than 60 lives in the last six months of 2021.
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