RJD disgruntled with SC verdict, says liquor ban 'transformed' lives in Bihar

The ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal-led coalition government on Saturday said they are studying the observations made by Patna High Court on the liquor prohibition while emphasising that the ban had received 'thumbs up' across political parties and people alike in Bihar.

"We are studying the observation made by the HC. But we have to look at the larger reality of prohibition. The fact remains that it has transformed the villages and towns in Bihar. Everybody has given thumbs up, now in wake of that, since it has such a transformative potential, we shall certainly factor in the observation made by the court then see accordingly what could be done," RJD leader Manoj Jha told ANI.

The Patna High Court on Friday struck down the state's Prohibition of Liquor Act which banned the consumption of Indian Made Foreign Liquor.

Quashing the April 5 notification, a division bench comprising of chief justice Iqbal Ahmed and Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh termed the prohibition 'illegal and ultra vires'.

Asked on the latest developments that took place following the cancellation of Shahabuddin's bail plea, Jha said "It could be a setback for Shahabuddin. But right from day one, we have been maintaining that, when the bail was granted, it was in judicious process, judicial legal process granted him the bail. Now that bail was challenged by Chanda Babu's advocate Prashant Bhushan and the Bihar government in two very strong affidavits. It's again a judicial legal process."

On Friday, A division bench of Supreme Court, headed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice Amitava Roy, set aside the order of the Patna High Court that had granted bail to Shahabuddin and ordered that he must be taken into custody immediately.

After surrendering in the Siwan district court, Shahabuddin asserted that he respected the order of the apex court, but warned that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would get a fitting response from his supporters in the next elections.

Reacting to the development, BJP leader Sushil modi said, "the Supreme Court proved that how the Bihar Government was making efforts to save him (Shahabuddin). Nitish Kumar (Bihar Chief Minister) has formed an alliance with such a party that you forget about expelling Shahabuddin, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) did not even suspend him."

Stressing that unless Shahabuddin is lodged in Tihar Jail and all the cases against him have been shifted outside Bihar, it won't make any difference, Modi alleged, "On this matter, the Nitish Government has maintained a stoic silence instead of praying to the apex court that Shahabuddin should be kept outside Bihar and should be tried outside the state.