Kerala HC stays ‘liquor pass’ order

Kochi: The Kerala high court on Thursday stayed the state government’s decision to issue special passes to tipplers, who have withdrawal symptoms due to non-availability of liquor in view of the lockdown, to get it on doctor’s prescription, saying it was a “recipe for disaster”.

The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed state government’s order on providing liquor to people suffering from alcohol withdrawal syndrome, for three weeks.

The order came on a bunch of petitions filed in the court by various organizations including Indian Medical Association and Kerala Government Medical Officers Association. The petitioners argued that alcohol cannot be prescribed as treatment method for those facing withdrawal symptoms.

Reacting to the verdict, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram that the government would comply with the court verdict. “We were not insisting on providing liquor to the people having drinking habit. We made earnest appeal to the family members that such people should be taken to the nearest Vimukthi de-addiction centre for treatment,” he added.

Earlier, the excise department had issued an order on issuing liquor passes after six deaths were reported in various parts of the state.

According to the order, the persons with alcohol related problems should first get examined at the outpatient wings of the hospitals of health centres. Once the doctor certifies that the person has withdrawal symptoms, then he could go with the OP slip to the excise range or circle office. Subsequently he would be issued a pass to procure liquor.