Bombay High Court dismisses Anna Hazare's petition on liquor production

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition filed against Maharashtra government for using foodgrains in the production of liquor by social activist Anna Hazare among others.

A division bench, comprising Justice Vasanti Naik and Justice Prasanna Varale, dismissed the plea after the counsel for respondents Kartik Shukul pointed out that a similar petition, filed by a social worker Chetan Kamble, was dismissed by the principal bench of Bombay High Court last year.

The scheme of producing liquor from food grains was scrapped in 2009 and no new allotments were made to any unit since then, the counsel told the court.

The petitioners had moved the HC against the state government's decision to issue licences to the wards of influential politicians to produce alcohol from foodgrains.

They sought directives from the high court over Maharashtra government's decision to offer grants to such projects.

Besides Hazare, other petitioners included social workers Dr Abhay and his wife Rani Bang, Dr Prakash Amte, Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Dr Anil Awchat, Hiraman Wankhede and Sachin Tiwale.

The PIL alleged that Amit Deshmukh, son of Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, along with BJP leader Gopinath Munde's daughter Shweta Palwe, NCP leader Govindrao Adik, and former minister Vimal Mundada, is directly or indirectly engaged in manufacturing alcohol from foodgrains.

All of them were made respondents in the case along with the state government and state excise department commissioner.

Other respondents included, Yashraj Ethanol Procession, Mallikarjun Distilleries, Shahapur Distilleries, Grainotch Industries, Radico NV Distilleries, Vitthal Distilleries, Adlars Bio-energy, Jogeshwari Beverages, Pranav Agrotech, Victoria Agro Food Processing, Alco Plus Producers and Pionium Industries. According to petitioners, the government granted licences to politicians and their kin by going back on its own promise of reviewing the policy.

The state government permitted the use of foodgrains in making alcohol with a view to ensure development in the backward regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada.

According to the government, the alcohol production from jowar will fetch higher prices for farmers.

Citing the demand in other countries for liquor manufactured from foodgrains, compared to that of molasses, the state had approved the proposal for foodgrain-based alcohol production in spite of stiff opposition from the planning and finance departments.

The factories had received a grant of Rs10 for per litre alcohol. Accordingly, the government had distributed Rs10 crore during the first phase of this project, the petitioners claimed.