Liquor-Related Offences Account For 33% Of Crimes Registered Across Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - Over the past three years, crime rates in the state have decreased, but illicit liquor-related offenses continue to dominate the criminal landscape. In 2025, more than 4.35 lakh cases were registered, with 33% of all crimes linked to the sale, purchase, transport, and consumption of spurious and illicit liquor, roadside drinking, and drunk driving.

Tragically, over 32 people lost their lives due to consumption of adulterated liquor recently in Banda, Sagar district. Despite the overall decrease in illicit liquor cases, the police department maintains that the law and order situation in the state is improving. Under the MP Excise Act, those involved in unlawful manufacture, transport, or sale of liquor, or possession of illicit liquor, face imprisonment ranging from six months to one year.

In 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed a bill introducing the death penalty and life imprisonment for deaths caused by spurious liquor. In November 2025, a court in Morena district convicted 14 men involved in manufacturing and selling toxic liquor, sentencing them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and hefty fines.