Bombay High Court criticizes Pune alcohol ban during Ganesh Chaturthi

The Bombay High Court has criticized the Maharashtra government's decision to impose a blanket ban on alcohol sales in Pune during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. A division bench, led by Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna, described the restriction as irrational and arbitrary, questioning why Pune was singled out while other cities like Mumbai faced no such order.

The court noted that such a prohibition could lead to significant health risks, stating that hospitals might become “flooded” as habitual drinkers suffer from sudden withdrawal. The bench emphasized that while authorities have the right to maintain law and order, they cannot assume that every person consuming alcohol will create a disturbance. The judges remarked that the decision placed a “stigma on Pune residents” and unfairly targeted one specific district.

Following the court's intervention, authorities scaled back the prohibition. The ban is now limited to two days: the first day of the festival until 4 pm on September 14, and the final day of celebrations on September 25.