Why the Supreme Court struck down Maharashtra’s methanol rules? | Explained

The Supreme Court recently struck down Maharashtra's methanol rules, deeming them disproportionate and lacking a sufficient connection with the issue they aimed to address. The court ruled that these rules, which mandated the addition of colourants and bitterants to methanol sold to non-drug manufacturers, violated the Constitution's Articles 14 and 19(1)(g).

The rules were introduced in response to a 1991 Mumbai tragedy where around 93 people died after consuming spurious liquor containing methanol. However, the court found that the rules were arbitrary and disproportionate, as they negatively impacted the quality and usability of methanol for industries such as paints and pharmaceuticals.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.