Khushi Bajpai
Published on: September 23, 2022 at 20:34 IST
The Supreme Court’s three-judge bench, which included Chief Justice U.U. Lalit, Justice Ravindra Bhat, and Justice Indira Banerjee, declined to consider a petition filed by BJP leader Ashwani Upadhyay to ban or restrict the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the NCT of Delhi state.
The bench made a point early on that the issue related to policymaking and did not require a ruling from the court.
Advocate Ashwani Upadhyay persisted, saying that he was only asking for a little concession on warning labels on alcoholic beverages should be required, just like there are warnings on cigarette packets. He declared:
“Alcoholic beverages are just as bad for you as cigarettes. The Constitution does not include cigarettes either, but they do have warning labels.”
“I’m asking for a small relief that warning labels ought to be placed on beverages as well. I hope it will benefit everybody, especially young people.”
Despite this, the bench maintained that it was a question of policy and instructed attorney Ashwani Upadhyay to drop the plea or the bench will dismiss it.
CJI Lalit said, “Some people claim that alcohol, when consumed in moderation, can be beneficial to health. That is never said about cigarettes. Please appreciate that it is a policy issue.”