New Delhi, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Friday suggested a series of measures for states and Union Territories to prevent hooch tragedies, including tighter monitoring of methanol procurement, storage and transportation, periodic scrutiny of licences and permits, and specialised disaster-management systems for handling mass casualties.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran made the observations while striking down Maharashtra rules that mandated the addition of bitterant and colourant to methanol sold to non-drug manufacturers.
The court held that the provisions violated Articles 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution and failed the test of proportionality. It said less restrictive safeguards were already available under the Maharashtra Poisons Rules and could address methanol pilferage and diversion if implemented effectively.
The Bench cited recent hooch tragedies in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar and Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar, where around 13 and 15 people respectively lost their lives, as reminders of the need for stronger preventive measures.
The court said preventing such tragedies required coordinated action by the Prohibition, Excise, Police, Transport, Industries, Health and Social Justice departments, along with NGOs.
It suggested strict monitoring of state borders, including checking squads to inspect private vehicles, to curb illegal transportation of liquor. Authorities were also asked to examine how large quantities of liquor enter cities and ensure enforcement of laws covering procurement, manufacture, transportation, sale and consumption.
The court recommended that police, in coordination with prohibition and excise authorities, identify illegal breweries, particularly those operating in semi-industrial and congested urban areas.
It also flagged the use of open land in municipal school premises for storing illegal liquor and suggested that Education Departments monitor such premises and report any suspected storage to local police.
On industrial units, the Bench said chemical solvents used to manufacture spurious liquor were generally procured illegally from such establishments. It recommended monitoring industrial units to identify those manufacturing chemical solvents and allegedly selling them illegally to liquor makers.
The court called for a comprehensive review of state rules governing methanol. It suggested that vehicles used for transporting liquor in violation of rules should not be released on bond or surety until court orders are passed.
The Bench also sought a “comprehensive re-look” at licensing and permit regimes, saying licences should be issued only after verification of applicants’ antecedents, credentials and genuine requirements.
It recommended periodic scrutiny of existing licences and permits to establish continued eligibility, actual usage and compliance, making licensing an exercise of “ongoing accountability” rather than a one-time process.
For methanol stocks, the court suggested that industrial consumers periodically return unused or excess methanol to sellers or designated authorities within a specified period. It also recommended mandatory records of methanol consumption and closing stocks, along with periodic reconciliation to identify unexplained shortages and possible diversion.
Those violating licence or permit conditions should face suspension or cancellation, as well as disqualification from obtaining fresh licences or permits, the court said.
The Bench further called for a comprehensive policy and a specialised cell under the State Health and Family Welfare Department to deal with liquor-related tragedies.
“Experiences of the past show that these hospitals are hardly equipped with the necessary specialised medicines or equipment required to handle such emergencies,” the court observed, stressing the need for specialised disaster-management systems capable of handling large-scale casualties.
The court also recommended increasing the number of de-addiction centres and fully operationalising existing facilities. It suggested that such centres should additionally reach out to families affected by alcohol consumption and recommended family counselling centres in local areas.
The Bench called for awareness campaigns by state governments and NGOs and stressed public cooperation in reporting violations of alcohol and prohibition laws to law-enforcement agencies.
It also directed authorities to consider the Parthasarthy Committee report, prepared after the 1991 Chhaya Bar hooch tragedy in Mumbai that claimed around 93 lives. The court said the report should be considered “at the earliest” and its recommendations implemented “effectively and meaningfully”.
The judgment arose from a batch of petitions challenging Rules 18A and 18B of the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, 1972. The provisions required purchasers of methanol to hold a Form A licence, mandated the addition of denaturants before methanol was sold to non-drug manufacturers, and provided for confiscation of methanol found without a valid licence.
The Supreme Court said it did not discredit the intention behind the rules but held that the state government’s objective of identifying methanol did not, by itself, satisfy constitutional requirements.
The Bench concluded that the challenged provisions were “manifestly arbitrary” and lacked a rational connection with the objective sought to be achieved.
While concluding the judgment, the court said that although judicial directions could be issued in such matters, “it is the police machinery that should rise to the occasion” and ensure strict and effective implementation of laws regulating alcohol.
The Supreme Court Registry was directed to forward copies of the judgment to all High Courts and the Chief Secretaries of the respective states.
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