The Bihar government on Sunday enforced a new law against alcohol, the Prohibition and Excise Act, two days after the Patna High Court declared the state's law prohibiting alcohol, the Bihar (Amendment) Act, illegal. The new law enforced on Gandhi Jayanti makes all sections non-bailable from police stations, The Times of India reported. The new legislation ensures that only special courts will try cases related to the violations.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "We are enforcing the new law to fulfill the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his birthday." He added that all previous excise laws, including the one struck down by the High Court, will be repealed with the new law. Kumar has also decided to counter the High Court's decision, to declared the Bihar (Amendment) Act illegal, with the filing of a special leave petition in the Supreme Court.
The Bihar (Amendment) Act was passed in the state Legislative Assembly on March 31. The petition describes it as "draconian, arbitrary and malafide", saying it violates Articles 14, 19, 21 and 22 of the Constitution, which provide citizens the right to equality before law, to carry on any trade or business, to personal liberty and to protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.
More than 13,000 people have been arrested for violating the ban on liquor, while 11 police station chiefs were suspended for not being able to "implement the law", NDTV reported.
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