AHMEDABAD: The liquor prohibition regime in Gujarat is once again under scrutiny after figures revealed in the state Assembly exposed the scale of liquor smuggling along the state’s borders.
The data surfaced after Imran Khedawala, MLA from the Jamalpur-Khadiya constituency in Ahmedabad, raised a question seeking details of liquor seized at check posts along the borders with Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan over the past two years.
According to the official reply placed in the Assembly, authorities seized liquor worth Rs 38.89 crore as of January 25, 2026.
10,49,855 bottles of foreign liquor were confiscated during the period, along with 1,59,265 bottles of beer worth Rs 3.33 crore linked to these illegal consignments was also recovered.
While police have managed to arrest 1,018 accused connected to these cases in the last two years, 141 accused are still absconding.
The government informed the House that special teams have been formed at the police-station level to track down and arrest the remaining accused, highlighting the continuing challenge of dismantling cross-border liquor smuggling chains.
Government data shows that revenue from health liquor permits has steadily increased. During 2024–2025, the state earned Rs 7.88 crore through permit fees, a figure that climbed to Rs 8.63 crore in the following year, marking an increase of over Rs 74 lakh in just one year.
The contradiction becomes sharper when examined alongside another Assembly disclosure linked to liquor sales through licensed hotels.
In a separate query raised earlier by MLA Imran Khedawala, the government revealed that 32 hotels in the districts of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have been granted permits to sell liquor to authorised guests.
Over the past two years alone, these licensed establishments have generated Rs 116.39 crore in revenue for the state government.
Liquor prohibition has been in force in Gujarat since May 1, 1960, when the state was formed.