Latest news with #ProhibitionAct
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
Drunk man claims to be cop's son after bike crash in Manjalpur
Vadodara: The Manjalpur area witnessed high drama on Thursday night after a motorcycle crashed into a parked car near Tulsidham Crossroads. The pillion rider, who appeared drunk, claimed to be the son of a senior police officer. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Passers-by caught hold of him, and a video of the incident went viral on social media. According to police, the rider, Deep Patel, lost control of his bike and rammed into the car. While he suffered injuries, the pillion rider, Jay Patel, got into a heated argument with the crowd. Jay, allegedly drunk, kept shouting that he was the son of a senior police official and even threatened bystanders, saying, "Do whatever you want to do." Police reached the spot, questioned Jay and later took him to the police station. Deep was taken to the hospital for treatment. A probe revealed that Jay's father is not a cop but a businessman. He was booked under the Prohibition Act. The city has seen multiple drunk driving incidents recently. On May 29, a drunk driver rammed into three vehicles in Gotri, while earlier in May, a drunk cop hit two vehicles in Chhani. Police have stepped up patrolling and night checks to curb such incidents. Many bikers are often seen overspeeding on Old Padra Road and Akota-Dandia Bazaar Road.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- The Hindu
Politics of the palm: A protest wrapped in a festival in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu's tryst with toddy, a byproduct of the State's official tree, the palmyra, has been steeped in complexity since the implementation of the Prohibition Act in 1937. For years now, toddy tappers have petitioned the government to legalise toddy, categorising it as a health drink. The government has steadily rejected the demand, continuing to criminalise the tapping of this product, all while several regimes have toyed with its legalisation. What might seem like a moot point to the rest of the State has had a direct impact on the lives of those who scale the rough trunk of a tree that thrives in barren landscapes. Think of a palm tree climber. A visual of a tired man with ropes around his hips and legs sweating profusely whilst a blazing sun shines, somehow emerges. A festival in Villupuram's Narasinganur titled Pana Kanavu Vizha [The Palmyra Dream Festival] village wished to change this narrative of a tired toddy tapper. On May 24, when an oppressive humidity took over the village and not a single blade of grass moved due to the stillness, around 2,000 people from different parts of the world, danced, performed martial arts, scaled the palm, drank padaneer and toddy, and chose to picnic, all whilst celebrating the palm. Although it seemed like a gala on the outside with fire dances and ice candy, the event concealed within its folds, a vociferous protest. Associations protecting the rights of toddy tappers from across the State, were present, providing monetary aid to the cause. D. Pandian, at the forefront of the Tamil Nadu Palm Tree Climbers Protection Association, is the convenor of the Pana Kanavu Vizha. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937, outlines the penalties that come with the extraction of toddy. It is a non-bailable offence, he says. For years now, the criticism that the government has raised against toddy tapping and its sale, especially since its classification as an alcoholic drink category after brief stints of government-run toddy shops in the 1970s and 1980s, is the adulteration. Pandian says that those brewing spurious liquor and adulteration deserve punishment. However, toddy tapping is an entirely different business. An article in The Hindu from September 30, 1970, shows that the demand has existed for years. 'A deputation of the Tamil Nadu Kal Venduvore Kazhagam, led by Dr. M. A. Karim, met the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, on Tuesday and presented a memorandum pleading for exemption of toddy from the Prohibition Act,' the article says. 'They tell us that they do not know how to regulate or do quality checks of our products. We tell them to come with their equipment. We do not want to follow a model like that of Kerala's where toddy shops are run by the government. We do not want toddy shops at all. Those who grow and tap palm though, should be allowed to tap it and sell it to those who seek it,' he says. Toddy is usually tapped between December and May but peak season tends to be during summer months. Each tree produces between two and five litres of toddy and each litre is sold for ₹100 in a hush-hush way. Padaneer, another liquid byproduct of the tree, is priced at ₹120 because the tree requires a coating of alkaline before tapping. 'It is also far more effort to tap for padaneer,' says T. Vinayagam, district head of the association's Tiruvannamalai division. Until recently, the practice of paying off the police to tap toddy in a clandestine manner existed across the State. 'But why should we be criminalised for climbing a tree? Do you know the number of times the police have come and pulled our fathers and grandfathers off the trunk of the tree? It was horrific to watch. That's why there are so few tree climbers today,' says V. Ranjini, the head of the women's wing of the Tiruvannamalai district's association. Ranjini adds that the children as young as three, are given toddy as it is said to have several health benefits. An article from The Hindu dating back to July 2, 1931, by Colonel J N Chopra, from the School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta, speaks of the vitamins benefits available in a toddy drink. Harris Karishma, who scales the palm treat with grace swears by the healing powers of toddy which she claims cleared her skin condition. It is a video of her inviting people to this festival that went viral on social media. 'Today, even climbing a tree is political but it is in my blood. That is not going to change,' she says.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Time of India
Four held with 2 pistols, 12 cartridges in Bhavnagar
Rajkot: The local crime branch (LCB) and the parole and furlough squad of Bhavnagar police arrested four persons with illegal country-made weapons, including two pistols, 12 rounds of ammunition, and three knives, on Sunday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Inspector P B Jebaliya of Bhavnagar LCB said they received an intelligence input about four people transporting dangerous weapons in an SUV. Following the input, police located the suspects within the jurisdiction of Bhavnagar City A Division police station. A search led to the recovery of two pistols, 12 cartridges, and three knives, together valued at Rs 31,000. Police said the four arrested are history-sheeters. Of the four, one was identified as 24-year-old Aakib Lakhapota from Palitana. He has five criminal cases against him in Bhavnagar, Amreli, and Banaskantha districts and is an accused in cases of assault, prohibition law violations, and issuing threats. The second accused was Inayat Chauhan (24), a native of Savarkundla in Amreli district. He was previously booked under the Prohibition Act at Savarkundla Road police station. The other two arrested were Sameer Bukera (24), from Mahuva in Bhavnagar, and 32-year-old Sajid Zero from Savarkundla. Neelambag police registered cases against the four and started an investigation.
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Tasmac code that allowed action against staff sans inquiry abolished
CHENNAI: In a significant ruling, the Madras High Court has struck down a code devised by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) that provided for taking punitive action against the employees for wrongdoings without holding any inquiry before initiating such action. The court imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on Tasmac and directed it to pay the amount to the petitioner union. The ruling was given by Justice A D Maria Clete on the petitions filed by Tamil Nadu Tasmac workers union seeking the court to quash the 'Code of Prevention and Detection of Fraudulent Acts in Tasmac-2014' brought into force by the TN government's liquor business entity, stating it was in violation of the Tamil Nadu Model Standing Orders and provided for punishments which are not prescribed in the model standing orders. Justice Maria Clete, in the recent judgment, held that fundamentally Tasmac cannot implement a new code without securing certification of standing orders in accordance with law. 'The justification sought to be advanced for the 2014 code based on the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937, is wholly misplaced, as that enactment has no bearing on the disciplinary action to be taken against workmen for alleged misconduct. The Prohibition Act does not confer any authority upon Tasmac to frame rules or regulations governing service conditions,' she said. The judge also noted that the 2014 code 'clearly constitutes a transgression' of the prohibition imposed under section 9A of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, that mandates issuance of a prior notice to the workers. Expressing concern about the Tasmac – having 4,820 retail liquor outlets and a workforce of about 24,000 – not complying with the orders of the high court categorically directing it to adhere to the model standing orders for taking disciplinary action, the judge noted that it has persistently disregarded its legal obligations. Apart from striking down the 2014 code, the judge also quashed the communication sent to the union by the Joint Commissioner of Labour (JCL), Chennai, who had endorsed the code stating it is in consonance with the model standing orders.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Time of India
Bootleggers use maternity ward at Patan hospital for ‘special' deliveries
Ahmedabad: Patan Civil Hospital's maternity ward is in the news for deliveries of a different kind. The storks in this story are two bootleggers and the 'babies', bottles of liquor. Things were on a roll for the accused — Hitesh Patel (50) and Saurabh Patel (29) — till Monday, when Patan City A Division police caught a whiff of the racket they had been running for around six months and caught them red-handed mid-delivery. Police officials said the men lived close to the hospital and deemed no place as safe as the maternity ward, to deliver booze to their clients. Police said Hitesh and Saurabh smuggled liquor from neighbouring Rajasthan, and distributed it to customers either inside or outside the ward, adding that the duo had turned the ward into a whisky room, bringing in consignments on two-wheelers. It has been learnt that the bootleggers had made close to 50 'special' deliveries. Police seized what amounted to a full bar menu being disguised as medical supplies. Police have registered a case under the Prohibition Act and are now reviewing CCTV footage to determine the full extent of this 'happy hour' operation.
