Chennai: The Bill amending the Prohibition Act of 1937 making punishment for those brewing, distributing and selling illicit liquor more stringent, going up to life sentence for those causing hooch tragedies has received the approval of Governor R N Ravi.The State Legislative Assembly had passed the Bill unanimously on June 29, responding to the overall outcry in the State following the hooch tragedy at Kallakurichi that claimed 66 lives, including that of a few women and a transgendered person, as it felt the immediate need to do away with illicit liquor completely.Under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2024, if death occurred due to consumption of illicit liquor, the punishment could go up to rigorous imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs 10 lakh for the bootleggers.In the case of any production, distribution and sale of illicit liquor, the jail sentence would be between five and ten years and the fine between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.The law, which would enable curbing illicit liquor in the State, provides for confiscating all properties used for the illicit liquor trade and also sealing of places where liquor is served or sold without license. Both the provisions would serve as a deterrent to those indulging in illicit liquor sales.The Bill amending the original Act of 1937 was moved in the Assembly by State Prohibition Minister, S Muthusamy and was adopted unanimously with the members of the prime opposition, the AIADMK, not present in the House and they had been suspended en masse.
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