On Monday, after the Karnataka state government permitted the sale of liquor, a huge line of people was spotted outside liquor stores. A bill of 52 thousand was made viral on social media which has now got both the buyer and the seller into trouble.
After the liquor bill of 52,800 went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp, the Karnataka state excise department has booked a case against the seller for selling more than the permitted limit. According to the rules mandated by the excise department, a liquor outlet cannot sell more than 2.6 Indian-Made Foreign Liquor and 18 liters of beer per day per customer. In the case of the viral bill, the seller, Vanilla Spirit Zone in Taverekere in Bengaluru South has sold 13.5 liters of liquor and 35 liters of beer to a customer.
Thanks to the social media that jokingly made the bill go viral, the excise department was notified about the bill. In the social media, a debate sparked off between netizens about the open violation of government orders by liquor stores that had opened after a 46-day restriction due to the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown.
The customer of the viral bill, however, remains unidentified. As per the rules of the government, a person is prohibited from carrying more than 2.6 liters of liquor of any category. Under this, the excise department can now file a case against the buyer too.
8 customers and 1 bill
When the excise department officials landed at the respective retail shop for questioning the owner of the violation of the rules, the owner claimed that the bill is the sale of liquor to 8 different people but the payment was made in one single card. Giri, the excise department DC Bengaluru South, spoke to the media and said,
“We are investigating his (the owner) claim and only then we will decide on what penal action to be taken against them.”
The excise department will look into similar matters as more people have put up the bills that have violated the rules. In Mangaluru, a bill of rupees 59,952 has been doing the rounds of the social media.
Source: The Times of India
