A man was arrested for delivering liquor in an LPG cylinder near Kadam Ghat under the Pirbahor police station area of Bihar’s Patna, said officials on Tuesday. Police have seized about 50 litres of liquor which was kept inside the cylinder by cutting its base part into a square shape.
After getting information about liquor smuggling, police raided the spot and arrested the accused identified as Bhushan Rai near the Kadam Ghat area in Patna. Recently, the Bihar government revised the fine amount for those who were caught drinking liquor for the first time in the state. In a fresh amendment to the prohibition law in Bihar passed b the state assembly, it was decided that those caught drinking alcohol for the first time would be released after they paid a fine.
According to the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Amendment 2022, if a first-time offender fails to pay the fine between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000, then they can be imprisoned for a month. After the Bill was passed in the Bihar assembly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also called the people who drink alcohol as “sinners” while adding that it is considered a sin by Mahatama Gandhi
Earlier, the fine amount for first-time offenders was Rs 50,000 as per an amendment made in 2018. Significantly, the move came after Supreme Court has come down heavily on the Bihar government over the prohibition law in Bihar. The court also slammed the state over piling up liquor cases.
The sale and consumption of alcohol were completely banned by the Bihar government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in April 2016.
