A Patna district court today sent seven businessmen, six of them from Gujarat and one from Uttar Pradesh, to judicial custody for consuming liquor in a hotel in violation of the total prohibition in Bihar.
Magistrate Supriya Goswami ordered the seven to 14 days in judicial custody under Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016 after they were produced before her by Patna police.
The seven businessmen were apprehended by Patna police during a raid at a posh hotel here when they were consuming Indian Made Foreign Liquor notwithstanding the complete ban on alcohol in Bihar since April 5.
The men were caught with seven empty bottles of premium brands of whisky from a room of the hotel.
The businessmen, who had come to attend a wedding here, pleaded that they were not aware about the liquor ban in Bihar and claimed that they purchased the liquor bottles in Mumbai, the police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj, said a case has been registered against the hotel’s management in the case.
Bihar government had imposed total prohibition from April 5 and as per the order sale and consumption of country, spiced liquor as well Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) were banned under the Excise law 2016 which has provision of jail term of 5 years to 10 years for violators.
( Source – PTI )
