Want ‘mobile courts’ to penalise open drinkers at public places, says Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday announced that the Delhi government has written to Delhi High Court seeking formation of ‘mobile courts’ to penalise open drinking at public places in the city. The government in its first-ever drive against open drinking of alcohol on Monday has nabbed 36 people and handed them over to the Delhi Police. 

“We have written to the Delhi High Court seeking introduction of mobile magistrates to fine and punish violators on the location of the offence itself to save time and inconvenience to the Excise Department and Police,” said Manish Sisodia. 

The Deputy Chief Minister further informed that the government is sending a clear message to violators that they should clean up their act, or face the music. “Open consumption of liquor creates public nuisance and impacts the business and society at large. There are zones in the city where women and children feel unsafe because of the presence of people who are openly consuming liquor,” he added. He further emphasised that there would be zero tolerance against such behavior and the government will keep an eye out for miscreants who violate the Excise Act. 

Sisodia also informed that 36 violators were arrested on Monday for illegal consumption of liquor in the open and public spaces on the first day of the Delhi government’s Excise department’s special drive to crackdown on this menace in the national Capital.  They were booked under Section 40 of the Delhi Excise Act and handed over to Delhi Police. 

The government has constituted 10 teams of the Excise department fanned across the Capital city and arrested the violators who were found consuming liquor in the open in cars or on the roads. 

They were also slapped with a fine of Rs 5,000 and were later produced before the court. Raids were conducted in Karol Bagh, Deshbandhu Gupta Road, Auto Market  Zamroodpur, Janakpuri District Centre, Vasant Vihar, PVR complex Vikaspuri, Pitampura, Kushal Cinema Jahangirpuri, near Rakjokri flyover, Sabzi Mandi, Kasturba Nagar. . “We were aided in this effort by 17 police stations across the Capital,” informed Sisodia. He, however, added that the intention of the government is not to send people to jail but to provide a deterrent against this growing menace of consumption of liquor in the open and public places.