Delhi govt lowers legal age of drinking to 21 years
New Delhi, Mar 22: The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved a new excise policy lowering the minimum age for consumption of liquor to 21 years from 25 years, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced.
According to the new policy, no new liquor shops will be opened in Delhi and the government will not run any vend.
"The new excise policy was approved by the Cabinet today on basis of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers. It was decided that no new liquor shops will be opened in the national capital and the government will not run any liquor shops. At present, 60 per cent liquor shops in Delhi are run by the government," Sisodia said at a press conference.
"Government will ensure equitable distribution of liquor shops so that liquor mafia are thrown out of the trade. A revenue growth of 20 per cent is estimated after the reforms in excise department," he added.
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SC sets aside HC order granting bail to police officer accused of raping minor
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has set aside the Allahabad High Court order granting bail to a police officer accused of raping a 13-year-old girl who was brought to a police station in Uttar Pradesh for registering a complaint of alleged sexual assault on her by four persons.
The apex court said that there is no reason to justify the grant of bail to the accused who was the Station House Officer (SHO) and allegedly grossly abused his office to commit "same heinous crime" of raping the minor victim.
A bench of justices A S Bopanna and Sanjay Kumar delivered the order on a plea filed by the victim's mother challenging the March 2 last year order of the high court.
"In the present case, the situation is far worse as respondent no.1, being the station house officer of the police station, where the minor victim girl was brought for securing her justice, is alleged to have resorted to committing the same heinous crime of raping her," the bench said in its order passed on Friday.
"In this situation, his prayer for grant of bail required more than the cursory appraisal that was bestowed by the high court. We do not find any reasons worth the name justifying the grant of bail to respondent no.1 at this stage," it said.
It allowed the appeal filed by the victim's mother and set aside the high court order.
The bench directed that the accused shall surrender forthwith, failing which the state shall take necessary steps to apprehend him and send him to judicial custody.
Senior advocate H S Phoolka appeared for the victim's mother in the case.
She had approached the apex court against the high court order granting bail to the accused in an FIR lodged for alleged offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including that of rape, and under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
In its order, the top court noted that according to the prosecution, the minor girl was placed in the custody of the SHO on April 27, 2022 in connection with registering a complaint against four men, who were alleged to have sexually assaulted her.
