{
  "id": 8463001,
  "title": "Citing ‘dry’ Gujarat, Supreme Court says prohibition does not end alcoholism, hooch tragedies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/citing-dry-gujarat-supreme-court-says-prohibition-does-not-end",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T12:38:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/citing-dry-gujarat-supreme-court-says-prohibition-does-not-end-alcoholism-hooch-tragedies/article71484453.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Supreme Court has ruled that enforced temperance is not a viable solution to alcoholism, citing Gujarat as a prime example of a 'dry State' that has persistently failed to prevent hooch tragedies and the subsequent deaths of hundreds of people. Justice J.B. Pardiwala, leading the Division Bench, highlighted that since Gujarat's formation in 1960, the state has witnessed at least 10 major mass hooch tragedies, resulting in over 600 fatalities. Despite the strict prohibition policy in place, the court emphasized that such bans only lead to the expansion of the illegal liquor trade, making the problem more severe. The recent tragedies in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, which claimed around 13 and 15 lives respectively, underscore the ongoing need for action. The court identified five 'evils' associated with prohibition: loss of revenue, increased expenditure, corruption, illegal distilling, and the resulting drug menace. The case centered on Rules 18A and 18B of the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, which were implemented following the deaths of 93 out of 250 people who consumed methanol-contaminated liquor in Mumbai in 1991. The court found these rules to be unconstitutional and arbitrary, as they imposed a heavy financial burden on industries while failing to address the root causes of hooch tragedies, such as pilferage, diversion, and institutional corruption. The court issued several directives, including the need to break the supply and demand chain of liquor, enhance vigilance at inter-State borders, and regulate the transport of methanol in dedicated tankers to prevent pilferage or substitution.",
  "summary": "A total ban on alcohol only succeeds in sending the liquor trade underground, increasing the prevalence of unregulated, lethal brews, says the top court",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Doctors say B.C. Supreme Court ruling on foreign-trained doctors a 'blow' for rural health care",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/doctors-say-b-c-supreme-court-ruling-on-foreign-trained-doctors-a",
        "published": "2026-09-18T20:25:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "SC acquits public servant in corruption case, cites 'impatience' of CBI in probe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/sc-acquits-public-servant-in-corruption-case-cites-impatience-of-cbi",
        "published": "2026-09-19T09:00:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "Supreme Court acquits public servant in corruption case, cites 'impatience' of CBI in probe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/supreme-court-acquits-public-servant-in-corruption-case-cites",
        "published": "2026-09-19T11:08:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}