Alcohol And Drinking Laws In India
In this article, we will
discuss everything you need to know about alcohol and drinking laws in India.
This article will also list the drinking age in different states.
·
Liquor Laws in India: People of India have high
need and demand for alcohol, even if the price is rising. While some people
take alcohol occasionally, there are some people in India who consume alcohol
daily. As a lot of people consume alcohol, there was a need for various laws
regarding liquor in India, which were passed by the parliament.
·
Different states have
different laws: Liquor laws vary from state to state. This variation is present because
the entry of alcohol is included in the State list (List II) which comes under
the 7th Schedule of the Constitution of India.
·
Drinking Age: Alcohol Laws in India
lists the legal drinking age in India, places where alcohol is allowed to be
sold and consumed and things relating to it. A seller needs to have a license
for selling alcohol, and if no licence is taken before selling, it will be
considered illegal and fine shall be imposed. Usually, liquor can be sold in
liquor stores, bars, discos, pubs, hotels and restaurants who are having a
liquor license. Along with these places, some beaches and houseboats can also have
a liquors license.
·
Drink and drive law: As prescribed by the law,
if any person is found driving his vehicle in a drunken state and if his Blood
Alcohol Level (BAL) exceeds 30 mg of intake per 100 ml of blood, he will be punished
under the law. The law prescribed a punishment of maximum 6 months imprisonment
and a fine. A Breath-analyzer is used by the police to check the Blood Alcohol
Level (BAL). This law is also applicable for other type of drugs.
·
Other Punishment: If a previous offender
repeats the drinking and driving within a period of three years of the
commission of the previous offense, he may get a punishment which may be
extended up to two years along with a fine.
·
Dry days in India: There are some days in India
which is considered as dry, which all the states are bound to follow. Dry days
are those days when there is a prohibition on the sale of alcohol. Dry days in
India include national holidays like Republic
Day, Independence Day and Gandhi
Jayanti. There are some other festivals also, which are considered to be
dry days.
·
Dry states in India: There are total of 6 dry
states in India. In those 6 states, there is a complete ban on things like sale,
consumption, and possession of liquor. Below is the list of dry states in India –
(i).
Gujarat
(ii).
Bihar
(iii).
Nagaland
(iv).
Manipur
(v).
Lakshadweep
·
Legal Drinking Age in
India: There
are different laws for purchase and consumption of alcohol in every different
state in India. In some states, you can purchase liquor if you are an adult i.e.
18 years of age, but to consume liquor, the minimum age differs from 18 years
to 25 years in different state. Below is the list –
1.
States where the minimum
age for liquor consumption is 18 years:
(i).
Rajasthan
(ii).
Puducherry
(iii).
Jammu and Kashmir
(iv).
Goa
(v).
Himachal Pradesh
(vi).
Sikkim
2.
States where the minimum
age for liquor consumption is 21 years:
(i).
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
(ii).
Andhra Pradesh
(iii).
Arunachal Pradesh
(iv).
Chhattisgarh
(v).
Jharkhand
(vi).
Karnataka
(vii).
Madhya Pradesh
(viii).
Meghalaya
(ix).
Mizoram
(x).
Odisha
(xi).
Tamil Nadu
(xii).
Telangana
(xiii).
Tripura
(xiv).
Uttar Pradesh
(xv).
Uttarakhand
(xvi).
West Bengal
3.
States where the minimum
age for liquor consumption is 25 years:
(i).
Assam
(ii).
Daman and Diu
(iii).
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
(iv).
Delhi
(v).
Haryana
(vi).
Punjab
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