HC asks AAP govt to form policy on age of liquor consumers

The Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government to evolve a policy to check the age proof of consumers at bars, pubs, liquor vends and food and beverage outlets selling alcohol.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar termed under-age consumption of alcohol a serious issue and said the Delhi government needs to examine the matter.
"Issue deserves to be examined by Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. They need to form a policy on it," the bench said.
It asked the Delhi Government's excise department to take formal view with regard to necessary amendments within three months and inform the petitioner NGO Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD) and his counsel, immediately.

It disposed of CADD's plea seeking to mandate all alcohol vendors and food and beverage outlets to mandatorily check the identity cards and conduct age verification.
It said portable age verifiers may be placed at all government liquor vends, private liquor vends and petrol pumps, markets, malls, bars and pubs.

The plea said the verifier can verify age by feeding in the last four digits of the Aadhaar number.
The plea said only government documents like Aadhaar card, election I-card and a valid passport for foreign nationals should be used to verify age at points of sale.
"This would help to bring down drunk driving incidents by 25 per cent in the next three years," the plea claimed.

It said there was a serious need for a legislative enactment to combat excessive underage drinking.