Kerala high court on Thursday asked the state government to consider putting an end to the toddy business in the state, so as to save the poor from the evils of alcohol and prevent sale of other spurious liquor in the name of toddy as well.
The court said it hoped the state government would take a “bold decision” in the near future, “liberating modern Kerala from the disgraceful business that is being carried out along the roadside everywhere.”
If the sale of toddy is stopped, then the availability of cheap spurious liquor can be contained and a large number of the poor can be liberated from their drinking habit.
Toddy shops are places of violence and crime and sale of spurious liquor leads to complete financial ruin and consequent family disharmony among the poor.
One way of effective implementation of prohibition of arrack and spurious liquor is the stoppage of toddy business, the court said.
The court refused to take note of the apprehension of the state that closing down toddy shops would lead to unemployment among a large number of toddy workers.
The problem of unemployment did not precipitate much when the state banned arrack earlier, the court responded.
A division bench comprising Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair and Justice Bhabani Prasad Ray passed the order.
The court opined that prohibition being a matter of policy of the state government, it was up to the government to take note of the views of the court and decide the matter at least for the next financial year.
The bench was considering a plea challenging the denial of preference for renewal of abkari licence under the Kerala abkari shops disposal rules 2000.
The government should not worry about the financial capacity of the ordinary and poor people to switch over to beer because alcohol is not a compulsory part of the diet. It is to be treated as a luxury which only people with disposable income can afford – the court said.
The court said spurious liquor was extensively sold under the label of toddy through toddy shops.