‘ Check age proof of liquor buyers’
The Delhi excise department has issued fresh instructions to all liquor outlets to check age proof of the buyers and has put the onus of not selling alcohol to a minor on the licensee.
The directions came after a Delhi high court order in November last year asked the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) government to make the agecheck mandatory at points of sale of alcohol such as vends, bars, pubs, food and beverage outlets serving alcohol.
“All the licensees of liquor outlets in Delhi are directed to follow the provisions contained in Section 23 of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009,” stated the circular dated February 20.
The order had come on a public interest litigation ( PIL) filed by social activist Prince Singhal. Hearing the plea, the court directed the excise department to make necessary amendments within a period of three months and to check the age of the consumers before selling alcoholic beverages to them.
Mr Singhal said the new directions also bring governmentowned vends under its ambit, which was not there earlier.
“This is a good beginning. I welcome the move as it empowers the licensees to check the age vide a valid age proof document if they feel that the age of the consumer or buyer is below the age of 25 years,” he said.
“This law would help bring down road accidents and fatalities, underage drinking and drunk driving in the next couple of years,” he added.
According survey conducted Mr Singhal’s NGO Community Against Drunken Driving ( CADD), to a by people in the age group of 18 to 25 years have easy access to alcohol in Delhi at liquor vends, bars, pubs, and restaurants without having to furnish age proof. Same is the case with government liquor outlets. Liquor vends, bars and pubs violate the minimum age law for drinking as none of them check the age of the consumers buying alcohol.
Out of the 6,000 people who had participated in the survey, 3,422 were below the age of 25 years, but none were ever asked for proof of their age before buying or being served alcohol, the PIL said.