Uttar Pradesh: New law to tackle deaths from illicit liquor may carry death penalty
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The Uttar Pradesh government will introduce a law to prevent deaths from the consumption of poisonous alcohol in the state.
The law will charge the guilty with life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh. A provision of capital punishment has also been added, UP Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh said as reported by ANI.
The Uttar Pradesh Excise Act 2010 will be amended and a new Section 60 (A) will be added, Hindustan Times reports. The recommendations have been passed as an ordinance and will be incorporated into law in the next session.
The state's move comes after the death of twenty-six people in Etah district's Aliganj city in July 2016 illicit liquor.
The deaths had resulted in a state-wide crackdown on the production and sale of illicit liquor following which a huge quantity of illicit liquor and its raw material was recovered from various places across the state.
Five government employees, including three from the excise department were also suspended.
