New Delhi Aug 24 PTI The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought response of the Delhi government on a plea to put in place a robust mechanism for mandatory age check at liquor shops and bars with government identity cards on the ground that reduction of drinking age from 25 to 21 years will lead to increase in underage drinking drunken driving and road rageThe plea was opposed by the Delhi government which said the decision to reduce the minimum age for consuming alcohol has no connection with the offence of drunken drivingA bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Delhi government which sought to respond to the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on September 17The plea also sought to restrain the Delhi government from giving effect to the new Excise Policy 2021-22 which reduced the age of consuming alcohol from 25 to 21 years until a robust age verification mechanism is put in placeThe plea filed by an organisation Community Against Drunken Driving through activist Prince Singhal sought mandatory age check at places selling and serving alcohol including bars pubs liquor vends and any food and beverage outletSenior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Rahul Mehra representing the Delhi government contended that this was an attempt to stall the policy under one pretext or the otherToday the age of voting is 18 To suggest that people above 18 can vote but cannot drink is to live in ivory towers Just because you permit people to drink once they reach the age of 18 does not mean that you permit drunken driving Even a 50-year-old person is not allowed to drink and drive according to the law Singhvi contendedMehra also said that in any case drunken driving is not permissible under the law so whether the minimum age of drinking is 25 or 21 it does not matterHe further said that in the neighbouring states of Delhi the minimum age of drinking is 21 yearsThe plea said that this reduction in drinking age might lead to an increase in underage drinking drunken driving and road rage incidentsThe petitioner claimed that the PIL was filed after the Delhi government failed to take action on the previous petition filed by him in 2017 where the court had directed the state to form a policy on age checking at alcohol points of saleSince the Delhi government introduced the new excise policy and liberalised the alcohol policy bringing down the legal drinking age and increasing alcohol availability making the alcohol policy almost at par with countries in the west it has become even more pertinent to strictly monitor age of consumer as is done in the western nations he saidThe plea said the age verification mechanism shall be done with the help of matching it with government issued identity cards like Aadhaar and voter cardIt also sought that the Delhi government be restrained from giving effect to the recent amendment made in the Excise Rules which permit the door step delivery of liquor until a robust age verification mechanism is instituted even for door delivery PTI SKV SKV RKS RKS

New Delhi Aug 24 PTI The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought response of the Delhi government on a plea to put in place a robust mechanism for mandatory age check at liquor shops bars and restaurants serving alcohol with government identity cardsThe plea also sought to restrain the Delhi government from giving effect to the new Excise Policy 2021-22 which reduced the age of consuming alcohol from 25 to 21 years until a robust age verification mechanism is put in placeA bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Delhi government which sought to respond to the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on September 17The plea filed by an organisation Community Against Drunken Driving through activist Prince Singhal sought mandatory age check at places selling and serving alcohol including bars pubs liquor vends and any food and beverage outletSenior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Rahul Mehra representing the Delhi government contended that this was an attempt to stall the policy under one pretext or the otherThe petitioner claimed that the PIL was filed after the Delhi government failed to take action on the previous petition filed by him in 2017 where the court had directed the state to form a policy on age checking at alcohol points of saleSince the Delhi government introduced the new excise policy and liberalised the alcohol policy bringing down the legal drinking age and increasing alcohol availability making the alcohol policy almost at par with countries in the west it has become even more pertinent to strictly monitor age of consumer as is done in the western nations he saidThe plea said the age verification mechanism shall be done with the help of matching it with government issued identity cards like Aadhaar and voter cardIt also sought that the Delhi government be restrained from giving effect to the recent amendment made in the Excise Rules which permit the door step delivery of liquor until a robust age verification mechanism is instituted even for door delivery PTI SKV SKV RKS RKS

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): Delhi High Court on Tuesday adjourned till September 17 the plea challenging reduction of minimum age to consume alcohol from 25 to 21 years.