- The Bombay High Court criticised the 12-day liquor ban in Pune during the Ganeshotsav festival
- Chief Justice Tripathi said habitual drinkers could face serious health issues due to the ban
- The district administration then reduced the ban to two days
Not everyone who drinks alcohol becomes a threat to law and order, and depriving regular drinkers can land them in hospitals, the Bombay High Court remarked as it reprimanded the government over a 12-day ban on liquor in Pune district during the Ganeshotsav festival that begins Monday, September 14. The ban was curtailed by the district administration to two days soon after.
This partial rollback came as the court said such orders could not be issued without a logical basis, and asked the state government to present its stance. "The ones who are habitual, they will get serious medical issues [if unable to drink due to the ban]... Hospitals will be flooding," Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi reportedly remarked as the matter was heard by a bench comprising him and Justice Advait Sethna.
"If during festival someone drinks, shows enthusiasm... you cannot say they will create some law-and-order scene on the streets. It is a festival; let people celebrate. I deprecate such blanket orders," the CJ said, as per LiveLaw.
The bench also noted that the ban was only for Pune: "What message are you trying to give against a particular city?" It asked the state's lawyer to "seek appropriate instructions" from the government.
The Pune District Collector reacted quickly and decided to scale back the restrictions.
Rather than a 12-day blanket ban, the district will now observe strictly regulated dry days on only the two most critical days of the festival: Saturday, September 14, the first day of Ganeshotsav (Ganesh Chaturthi), marking the arrival and installation of the idols; and Wednesday, September 25, Anant Chaturdashi (Visarjan Day), the final day of the festival when lakhs take to the streets for immersion processions.
Earlier, the Collector had announced restrictions on liquor sales from September 14 to September 26, 2026, citing public safety and law enforcement during the Hindu festival.
(Inputs by Hritik Ganakwar)
