Crackdown on liquor smuggling: Six Chandigarh excise officials chargesheeted

The officers posted in Chandigarh include excise and taxation officers (ETOs) Rishi Pal and Bhupinder Singh Rana, both from the UT cadre, as well as excise and taxation inspectors (ETIs) Jagbir Singh from the Haryana cadre, Ashok Kumar from the Punjab cadre, Praveen Kumar from the Haryana cadre and Amandeep Dutt from the Punjab cadre

Taking note of registration of 300 inter-state liquor smuggling cases in Punjab in 2024-25, UT excise and taxation secretary Ajay Chagti has chargesheeted six officers for failing to curb the surge in smuggling of Chandigarh liquor.

The officers have been given 15 days to respond, failing which strict action will follow. (HT)

The officers posted in Chandigarh include excise and taxation officers (ETOs) Rishi Pal and Bhupinder Singh Rana, both from the UT cadre, as well as excise and taxation inspectors (ETIs) Jagbir Singh from the Haryana cadre, Ashok Kumar from the Punjab cadre, Praveen Kumar from the Haryana cadre and Amandeep Dutt from the Punjab cadre.

A senior excise official said around 300 FIRs related to liquor smuggling were lodged in Punjab, with complaints from Punjab’s additional chief secretary as well. The officers have been given 15 days to respond, failing which strict action will follow.

The officer added that the officials had been chargesheeted under Rule 14 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1965. “This rule ensures that the accused officers are given a fair opportunity to defend themselves,” he said.

In November 2024, Chagti had instructed officials and liquor vendors to maintain accurate stock records and ensure compliance with the track-and-trace system to combat smuggling. He had also ordered increased inspections of liquor vends, bottling plants and warehouses.

Since liquor prices are lower in the UT, smuggling into Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat has been a persistent issue.