Chandigarh: The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Punjab government over the sluggish probe into the 2020 hooch tragedy in which 120 people died. A bench of Justices MR Shah and MM Sundaresh said that they are not at all satisfied with the Punjab government's investigation. It appears that no serious efforts have been made to book the accused involved in the manufacture and sale of illicit liquor, the bench said.
The bench was hearing a case arising out of the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that disposed of a petition seeking a CBI probe into the spurious liquor sale. The bench said that with the illegal manufacture and business of illicit liquor, it is the common man and the downtrodden, who suffer not the upper class, who can afford costly wine.
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The apex court directed the Punjab government to file a status report within two weeks showing the action taken against the distilleries, breweries and bottling plants. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that with the connivance of the police and politicians, large-scale production and sale of illegal liquor is going on unabated in Punjab and the government has taken ineffective measures over the matter.
In the affidavit filed by the Excise Department of Punjab in the court, it has been said that the police registered 13 FIRs in the matter out of which the charge sheet has been filed in three cases while the remaining cases are being investigated. Notably, in 2020, 120 people died in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur due to the consumption of illicit liquor. The present Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, who was in the opposition at the time had protested against the then government and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and demanded justice for the victims.
