TASMAC Liquor at Doorstep? Supreme Court tells States to Consider Door Delivery of Alcohol!

The Supreme Court on Friday has recommended the states to look into the possibility of continuing the sale of alcohol, through a home delivery system. This was at a hearing where people opposed the resumption of the sale of alcohol.

A case was filed as the sale of alcohol in various states gave birth to chaos, where the citizens were violating the norms of social distancing. As the number of positive coronavirus cases has been multiplying over the past week, forfeiting the rules of social distancing is highly dangerous for India since it would lead to community spread.

“We will not pass any order but the states should consider indirect sale/home delivery of liquor to maintain social distancing norms and standards,” said Justice Ashok Bhushan, heading a three-judge bench.

There have been several instances where people stood in queues that extended up to a kilometre to acquire liquor bottles. Three states including West Bengal, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh have already began delivering alcohol to the doorsteps of people. In the Capital, a decision is yet to be taken, although the government has decided to provide e-tokens for the purchase of alcohol, which will then be delivered to their doorsteps at a pre-decided time.

This decision has mainly been taken by various states as the economy has faced a downfall since the nation-wide lockdown. In order to generate revenue, various state governments are looking to keep liquor shops open as it generates 25-40% of the total revenue. The Delhi government and the Andhra government have also hiked the prices of liquor to boost the revenue.