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Indian court overturns gov't ban on alcohol in eastern state of Bihar

Xinhua, September 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Indian court Friday overturned the ban on liquor in the eastern state of Bihar, which was imposed by the local government in April this year.

The High Court in state capital Patna cancelled the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Bihar, terming it as "illegal, impractical and unconstitutional."

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had clamped the ban as per a pre-election promise to women voters that if he was elected for a third consecutive term last year, he would turn Bihar into a dry state.

Though Kumar had claimed the ban would usher in "social change" in Bihar, critics described it as draconian with punishments for even family members of anybody caught consuming or possessing liquor.

More than 13,000 people have been arrested in Bihar for defying the ban since April 5.

Alcohol is also banned in the western state of Gujarat while the southern state of Kerala and some other Indian states have imposed a partial ban. Enditem