Over 17 lakh arrested under Bihar prohibition law since 2016: official

More than 17 lakh people have been arrested under Bihar's liquor prohibition law since it came into force in April 2016, a senior official said on Monday. Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department Secretary Ajay Yadav said a total of 17,18,058 individuals were arrested between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2026, for offences related to both consumption and sale of alcohol. According to a statement, 11,37,731 cases were registered in special excise courts during the period. Of these, 5,70,717 cases have been disposed of. Punishment was awarded in nearly 99 per cent of the disposed cases, amounting to 5,65,929 convictions, the statement said. Yadav also said the department collected Rs 8,403 crore in revenue during FY 2025-26, achieving 101.8 per cent of the target of Rs 8,250 crore. The revenue collection marked an increase of Rs 754 crore (9.86 per cent) compared to the previous fiscal year. He attributed the rise in revenue to the adoption of new technologies such as GIS-based pre-registration mapping, despite a decline of around 1.57 lakh documents presented for registration this year. During the prohibition period, authorities seized 4,83,20,249 bulk litres (BL) of liquor, including 2,42,73,895 BL of country-made liquor and 2,40,46,354 BL of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). For the next fiscal, the department has set a revenue target of Rs 10,000 crore, Yadav said. ''We will continue reducing human intervention and enhancing transparency through mobile apps and GIS technology. Home registration services for citizens above 80 years of age are also being introduced,'' he said.

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