The Patna High Court today cancelled Bihar government’s Prohibition of Liquor Act, terming it “illegal”. The law, championed by chief minister Nitish Kumar, came into force on April 5, 2016 and was meant to fulfill Kumar’s poll promise of banning liquor in the state. Kumar was re-elected for a third consecutive term in the Bihar assembly elections held last year.  

The law – under which more than 13,000 people have been arrested since April – had elicited strong reactions from the state’s police department, with several officers refusing to accept promotions as they felt the penalty for not imposing the law was quite strict. Prohibition has also boosted the sale of illegally brewed alcohol and in the month of August, 17 people died after consuming bootleg liquor in Gopalganj, eastern Bihar.

Kumar has, however, defended the liquor ban, claiming in June that “heinous crimes have come down by 15% in last two months”.