Bihar Excise Act, 1915

The State of Bihar, under the Bihar Excise Act, 1915, initially adopted a policy in January 1990 granting five‑year settlements of liquor‑shop licences subject to annual renewal and certain conditions. The appellants paid the first year’s fee and claimed a contractual right to continue their licences for the full five‑…

The case concerned the inter‑se seniority of Excise Inspectors in Bihar. The appellants were promoted to the post of Inspector of Excise in 1976 under a 5% quota reserved for promotion from Upper Division Assistants, which the State Government claimed applied to the 1974‑75 vacancy year. The respondents, promoted from …

The State of Bihar, under the Bihar Excise Act, 1915, granted exclusive privilege for manufacturing and wholesale supply of country liquor in nine zones through a tender process. Unlike earlier practice of awarding a single contractor per zone, the 1995 tender allowed more than one contractor in each zone, and the lice…

The appellants, Shree Krishna Gyanoday Sugar Ltd., operated several distilleries licensed to manufacture denatured spirit, other industrial spirits and potable liquor. The State of Bihar, via the Superintendent of Excise, demanded that the appellants bear the establishment costs of excise staff posted at the distilleri…

Shiv Kumar Bhaghat applied for an additional wholesale licence for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in Begusarai. The Collector recommended the licence, which the Excise Commissioner eventually approved after considering the Collector’s comments and other material. The sole existing licencee (respondent No. 5) challen…

The State of Bihar enacted notifications licensing the use, possession and sale of Ayurvedic medicinal preparations containing alcohol, after amending the Bihar Excise Act, 1915 to include such preparations within the definition of "intoxicant". Manufacturers challenged the constitutional validity of the amendment and …

The State of Bihar levied a penal duty on several distilleries for an alleged shortfall in the production of rectified spirit from molasses, relying on a Comptroller and Auditor General report. The distilleries filed writ petitions under Article 226, contending that the penalty was imposed without any hearing, adjudica…

The State of Bihar enacted the Bihar Excise (Amendment and Validating) Act, 1995 to give statutory basis to the price fixation of country liquor and the deduction of a 0.70‑paise warehouse‑maintenance charge that had been ordered by the Excise Commissioner. Distilleries challenged the Act, arguing it was beyond the Sta…

The appellants, a group of Rotarians, were traveling from Jharkhand to Bihar in a private vehicle when they were stopped at a check post in Nawada. Although no liquor was found in the vehicle, a breath analyser indicated the presence of alcohol in some of the appellants, leading to charges under Section 53(a) of the Bi…