Delhi finally has its own excise Act. After years of preparation, the Delhi Excise Act 2009 came into effect from Monday. The Act replaces the outdated Punjab Excise Act 1914 and is modelled after the Model Excise Act suggested by the Centre.
The most important change that the Act brings in is that the fine for consumption of liquor in public places will go up to Rs 5,000 from the present Rs 200. If a person creates a nuisance while drinking in public, the fine doubles. Persons allowing drunkenness on the premises of liquor establishments can be fined up to Rs 50,000.
The Act brings down the minimum age for serving liquor to 21 years even though the legal age for being allowed to drink remains 25. It also allows women bartenders in five-star hotels.
Delhi finance minister A K Walia said the Act sharpens the teeth of the excise department which will now be able to crack down on instances of spurious liquor being manufactured and put an end to consumption of liquor in public places. The radius around schools and religious places where liquor cannot be sold has now been increased to 100 metres instead of the earlier 75 metres.
The Act says that in case there is any death caused by the mixing of noxious substances with liquor, it will attract the death sentence or life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10 lakh. The fine is halved but the jail term is of six years if there is grievous hurt caused by this.
In case of unlawful import, export, manufacture, transport, possession and sale, the earlier Act had provisions for imprisonment up to three years and fine up to Rs 2000. The present Act has provisions for imprisonment between six months and three years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
In case of offences relating to rendering denatured spirit fit for human consumption, and for sale/marketing of hooch, there were provisions for imprisonment up to one year and fine up to Rs 1000 in the earlier Act whereas the present makes a person face an imprisonment of 2-5 years and a fine of Rs 2 lakh for these offences.
