Haryana reduces the legal drinking age from 25 to 21
The Haryana Government passed the Haryana Excise (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the state legislative assembly, lowering the legal drinking age from 25 to 21. The bill was enacted to amend the Haryana Excise (Amendment) Act, 2021 further. The state government previously authorised a lease for the manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sale of any country liquor or intoxicating substance to a male over the age of 25 under section 27 of the act. The minimum age has recently been reduced to 21 years old.
According to Section 29 of the legislation, a seller/employee of such vendor may sell liquor/any intoxicating drug to a person over the age of 21. Section 30 currently allows those over the age of 21 to work for anyone who is licensed to sell any form of liquor or intoxicating drug.
Furthermore, Section 62 now provides that if any licensed vendor, its employee, or any person acting on his behalf sells or delivers any liquor or intoxicating drug to any person who appears to be under the age of 21 years, he shall be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 50,000 in addition to any other penalty to which he may be liable.
“At the time of developing the Excise Policy for the fiscal year 2021-22, it was discussed that the aforementioned age limit of twenty-five years could be reduced to twenty-one years, as many other states have mandated lower age limitations. This age limit has lately been dropped to twenty-one years in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Furthermore, the socioeconomic realities of the time have altered dramatically since the aforesaid requirements were adopted into the Excise Act. People are more educated and involved in new endeavours, and they can also make reasonable decisions when it comes to safe drinking “According to the government’s press release.
As a result, the Haryana Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was enacted, lowering the minimum age limit from twenty-five years to twenty-one years as stipulated in sections 27, 29, 30, and 62 of the Haryana Excise Act, 1914.
