The Uttar Pradesh government has recommended death penalty for those who manufacturer spurious liquor if their product kills or permanently disables a person, PTI reported.
“Capital punishment will not just curb deaths due to hooch consumption, but at the same time, it will also put an end to smuggling of illicit liquor from neighbouring states,” Uttar Pradesh Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh said, according to News18. “It will also increase the state’s revenue.”
The state Cabinet on Wednesday approved the government’s proposal to amend various sections of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Act, 2010. A new section, 60(A), will be added through an Ordinance.
According to this section, if hooch causes death or permanent disability, the culprits will get life imprisonment or a Rs 10-lakh penalty, or both, or capital punishment depending on the severity of the case.
Other sections of the Act will look to greatly increase the fines levied for other offences related to illicit liquor.
Hooch tragedies take a heavy toll on Uttar Pradesh every year. In July, 18 people had died in Azamgarh after they consumed spurious liquor.
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