The Supreme Court of India expressed deep concern over the rising drug abuse problem in the country, highlighting the impact on youth and the need for urgent intervention. The court emphasized the need for rehabilitation rather than demonization of drug users and called for open discussions to address the issue. The judgment came while granting bail to a man accused in a heroin smuggling case. The court cited a 2019 report that indicated a significant number of people in India use opioids, cannabis, and other substances, with alarming trends in opioid dependence.
The plea is likely to be heard on Wednesday by a vacation bench.
The point made by sociologist M N Srinivas, that it represented a Sanskritic act that was linked to caste, is never raised in Indian debates and the disapproval of drink is almost universal, notes Aakar Patel.
'We like to believe that it's the politicians who impose such bans. But it's the womenfolk of Bihar who made Nitish Kumar enact the ban,' says Ashis Nandy.
The attached properties include 14 assets of Tuteja worth Rs 15.82 crore, 115 properties of Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, worth Rs 116.16 crore, properties of Vikash Agarwal alias Subbu worth Rs 1.54 crore and 33 properties of Arvind Singh worth Rs 12.99 crore, it said in a statement.
The gifted mogri even bears the caption 'sharabiyon ke sutara hetu bhent, police nahi bolegi' (gift for beating drunkards, police will not intervene).
While Maharashtra has increased the minimum age for consuming alcohol to 25 from 21, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and West Bengal allow their denizens to consume and buy alcohol after they turn 21 and Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh let their denizens consume alcohol after turning just 18, the age at which they are eligible to vote as well as get a driving license. Is the Maharashtra government right in increasing the minimum age limit t0 25? Tell us!
Describing as "shocking" the death sentence to 17 Indians in the United Arab Emirates, the government said on Tuesday that it will ensure all possible help to them, including legal assistance, to file an appeal in a higher court.
The IAS officer was later taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is expected to be produced before a magistrate seeking his remand, the sources said.
A three-member committee conducting inquiry into alleged manipulation of the blood samples of the juvenile driver involved in the Porsche car crash on Tuesday visited the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, and also met the police officials who are probing the case.
Both the teenager's father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, and Dr Taware have been arrested in related cases following the accident of May 19 where two IT professionals were killed when the car allegedly driven by the drunk 17-year-old crashed into their motorbike.
This instruction forms part of an advisory issued by the Goa tourism department for tourists and the set of directives is aimed to protect the privacy of travellers
Huma Qureshi's Rani Bharti was the ace in the pack, but everything that she does in this season smacks more of script conveniences than careful plotting, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Qatar will permit ticketed fans to buy alcoholic beer at World Cup soccer matches starting three hours before kick-off and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament said.
Which entrepreneur would willingly part with her or his hard-earned money for grasping, self-serving politicians? asks Debashis Basu.
The 14-year political journey of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has encountered both upheaval and elevation, as her expulsion from Parliament in a cash-for-query case marked the culmination of her tumultuous parliamentary term.
The autopsy, which was based on blood and urine samples and released by the Buenos Aires Scientific Police, said Maradona had problems with his kidneys, heart and lungs.
At least seven persons died and 10 others were admitted to different hospitals after consuming spurious liquor at Rojid village in Botad district of Gujarat, a senior police officer said on Monday.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking an independent probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into a recent hooch tragedy in Bihar, in which at least 30 people have lost their lives.
Rainbow-themed badge adorns US training facility
Around 30 people are still undergoing treatment at various government hospitals in Bhavnagar, Botad, Barvala and Dhandhuka, officials said.
Dr Randeep Singh Mann was arrested on March 4 after federal agents searched his home and found a cache of unregistered, high-explosive grenades and guns at his home and nearby.
In 2015, FIFA recommended that Qatar host a shorter World Cup over the cooler months of November and December in a move that was sure to put soccer's world governing body on a collision course with the major European leagues.
Some of the persons accused in the drugs-on-cruise case have told the Narcotics Control Bureau that they started consuming drugs to overcome depression as well as academic and work pressure.
Sisodia was arrested after nearly eight hours of questioning on various aspects of the excise policy for 2021-22, which the probe agency says suffered from irregularities both in its formulation and implementation, allegedly intended to benefit people with links to the AAP.
We must heed what the CJI has said. Challenging every judgment of the central government is inviting chaos, asserts Shreekant Sambrani.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused critics of World Cup host Qatar's treatment of migrant workers of hypocrisy.
The move by the excise department has come in the wake of lifting of certain coronavirus-induced curbs, which included allowing reopening of liquor shops. As the demand for alcohol has increased in Maharashtra, there is a possibility of liquor smuggling by inter-state organised syndicates, the official said.
A phased roll-out of prohibition will hit revenues of companies, which get 5% of their volume sales from the state
The CBI on Sunday deferred the questioning of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the Delhi Excise policy scam case after he sought time from the probe agency citing the city government's ongoing budget exercise.
Besides the sedition charge, police said they had registered cases against him under IPC sections including 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups) and 502 (sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter).
Qatar is trying to strike between respecting religious traditions and accommodating the raucous exuberance of more than a million visiting soccer fans.
Gynecologist Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj tells you how to have a safe and healthy pregnancy in your 30s.
A court in Saudi Arabia also ordered the two Indian nationals, who apparently confessed to the illegal manufacture of alcohol, to be deported eventually after their sentence is complete.
Shutting of stores had not stopped alcohol sales. On the contrary, it had increased black market operations and peddling of illicit hooch, which could cause death/serious injury.
Fresh allegations have emerged against actor-producer Vijay Babu, who has been accused of sexually assaulting an actress, after another woman from the industry on Friday accused him of having misbehaved with her in 2021.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday reiterated that his government is committed to enforce liquor ban or prohibition in the state. M I Khan/ Rediff.com report from Patna.
Wails of grief shook West Bengal's Sangrampur and neighbouring villages as the toll in the state's worst-ever illicit liquor tragedy shot up to 143 amid fears that this may rise further with over 100 victims including labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers battling for life.
Seventeen Indian men, who were spared the death penalty after being convicted of murder last year, have been sentenced to six months in prison by a UAE court on charges of selling alcohol illegally. At the final hearing of the criminal case on Wednesday, the Sharjah Court of Appeal found the men guilty of the charge.
Setting aside a single judge order permitting bars in four-star and heritage hotels, the Kerala high court on Tuesday upheld the state government's liquor policy for 2014-15 confining bar licences only to five star hotels.
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