NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the Union government’s failure to appear in a hearing on a plea seeking mandatory age verification at liquor outlets across the country, warning that it could impose costs and order the personal appearance of the officer concerned if the Centre failed to respond next time.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath directed the Union Ministries of Home Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, and Social Justice to file a joint affidavit within four weeks explaining the central guidelines in place to enforce age restrictions on liquor sales. It also directed states that had not filed their replies to submit status reports on their enforcement mechanisms.
“They (Centre) don’t take this seriously?” the bench remarked, noting that notice had been served on the Union government and the matter had been listed after three months, yet no counsel appeared on its behalf and no counter-affidavit had been filed.
The court emphasised that the issue concerned the health of the younger generation and could not be left to the states alone. It scheduled the next hearing after four weeks.
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD), which sought an effective protocol and a robust policy to enforce mandatory age verification at liquor sales outlets to curb underage drinking.
The petitioner argued that liquor was being sold to minors because age verification was not enforced at the retail level. It sought directions for mandatory checks using Aadhaar or voter ID cards, digital logging of sales and strict liability for violations.
The PIL also contended that the Centre had a responsibility to address the issue under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction.
Highlighting alleged lapses in enforcement, the petition said that although the legal drinking age in Delhi was 25, liquor was being sold to 18-year-olds without verification. In Uttar Pradesh, where the legal drinking age is 21, liquor shops near schools and colleges were allegedly selling alcohol to students.