HC notice on labels on liquor bottles

The high court issued a notice to the government over the use of polyester-based excise adhesive labels on liquor bottles in the state.

A division bench headed by Justice H G Ramesh issued the notice while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Ramprasad, a social worker and Rajesh Babu, Secretary of Swaccha, a city-based non-government organisation for waste management.

The petitioners have challenged the use of labels saying that are non-biodegradable and non-recoverable.

The court issued notices to the excise commissioner, additional chief secretary to the state government and joint commissioner of excise, distilleries and breweries in the matter.

The petitioners are seeking court's direction to quash the impugned tender notification for production of polyester-based holographic excise adhesive labels vide tender dated January 3, issued by the excise department for the production of totally polyester-based 'excise adhesive label' (EAL) instead of paper-based hologram embedded excise adhesive label. The EAL is used as the excise department's seals on the liquor bottles and is affixed in the distilleries in the presence of excise officials.