HC directs Kerala govt to ban toddy

Kochi: Describing toddy shops as ‘places of violence and crime’, the Kerala High court today asked the government to impose prohibition of toddy in the state to save the poor from the evils of alcohol. The court observed that this was a ‘disgraceful’ business that was carried on in the streets everywhere in Kerala. It should be abolished by the state by imposing strict rules in the near future, the court said.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice B P Ray, said prohibition being matter of policy, it was up to the government to take note and and take a decision in the next financial year. Pointing that it was ‘high time’ that government thinks of discontinuing toddy business in the state to save the poor from the evils of alcohol and prevent camouflaged sale of arrack and other spurious liqour in the name of toddy, the bench said the main source of ‘Abkari’ cases was toddy business. According to latest statistics, 20,547 ‘Abkari’ cases are pending. It was common knowledge that there is no co-relation between actual quantity of toddy produced and available and quantity required, the bench said. “What can be implied is the artificially prepared spurious liquor with high alcohol content is sold in toddy shops. What is served is not liquor with low percentage of alcohol.” Describing the toddy shops as ‘places of violence and crime’, the bench said beverages outlets are selling beer which contains less alcohol than toddy and the government was not justified in continuing with toddy shops. “If sale of toddy is stopped in the state, availability of cheap spurious liquor can be contained,” the bench said while considering a case of toddy shop licensee from Kuzhalmannam in Alapuzha to quash the abkari cases against him.

PTI