The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Aam Aadmi Party government on a public interest litigation seeking the lowering of the drinking age in the national Capital. At present, the minimum legal age for consumption of alcohol in Delhi is 25.
The petition, filed by advocate Kush Kalra, has sought that Section 23 of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009, be quashed. It prescribes 25 years as the legal drinking age in Delhi. The petition says that the law leads to “discrimination against residents of National Capital Territory of Delhi compared to citizens of India residing in other states, where the legal drinking age is less than 25 years,” Live Law reported.
In his plea, Kalra said that the legal age to drink in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Telangana and Jharkhand was 21, while it was 18 in Rajasthan and Puducherry, PTI reported. “A person coming to Delhi from a state which legalises drinking at the age of 18 years is likely to continue consuming alcohol, thus criminalising their behaviour,” Kalra said. “On the other hand, young persons from Delhi travel to states which have lower legal ages to consume alcohol.”
The plea claimed that 67% of the population in the age group of 18-25 years purchased alcohol from liquor outlets in Delhi, but were never asked for age proof. It recommended that the Aam Aadmi Party government conduct awareness programmes among college and school students about responsible drinking.
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