Liquor manufacturers in Bihar have until July 31 to get rid of their stock, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Sale and consumption of alcohol was banned in the state on April 1, 2016. However, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies had moved the court seeking permission to dispose of their stock in other states, reported PTI.

The petitioners had told the court that they had incurred losses of around Rs 200 crore because of the ban, and asked for asked for the court’s permission to send their remaining stock to states where alcohol was not banned. The request was accepted by a vacation bench of the top court on Monday.

Soon after imposing the ban, the state government had claimed that the step had led to a 27%-decrease in crime cases. In January, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said his government would not give new liquor manufacturing licences or renew existing ones from the financial year 2017-2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised Kumar for his efforts to implement a liquor ban in the state.