25 and above: Delhi to retain alcohol age bar

The government is examining liquor regulations across six states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka.

Delhi’s legal drinking age is unlikely to be lowered from 25 years as the government prepares a new excise policy after nearly three years of uncertainty, senior officials aware of the matter have said.

25 and above: Delhi to retain alcohol age bar

The government is examining liquor regulations across six states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka — to cherry-pick best practices for a regulation that has been a vexed issue.

“The objective is to create a non-adventurous policy that balances public interest with efficient regulation,” a senior excise official said, asking not to be named.

Along with holding status quo on the legal drinking age, the city is also likely to continue its ban on home delivery of liquor.

Officials familiar with the matter said the objective is to ensure consumers have access to quality liquor while illegal sales are curbed, protecting public health and enhancing business operations.

The excise policy’s last major overhaul ended in a political quagmire for the Aam Aadmi Party after it was accused of impropriety.

“We’ve held several meetings where we have explored ideas for the policy. The goal is to guarantee quality liquor supply, reduce illicit sales, ensure public safety, and promote ease of doing business. Increasing revenue by plugging regulatory gaps is also a priority,” one of these people said.

Delhi’s legal drinking age remains significantly higher than other major cities. In Mumbai, only hard liquor is restricted for those under 25, with wine and beer permitted at 21. The drinking age in New York and London is 21 and 18 respectively. The excise department did not respond to requests for a comment.

To be sure, the legal drinking age often remains only a technical barrier with checks on sales and serving sparingly wielded. Two of the Capital’s prominent satellite cities, Gurugram and Noida, set this limit at 21, a disparity that industry representatives say hurts them without leading to meaningful control in young age drinking.

The previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government twice announced plans to reduce the drinking age to 21—in 2015 and again in 2021—but never implemented the change.

Officials are particularly interested in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, which they describe as having “progressive policies that are efficient in revenue generation, regulation, and market management.”

The excise frameworks of Karnataka and West Bengal are also under review, as their metropolitan cities—Bengaluru and Kolkata—provide relevant comparisons for Delhi.

Delhi excise teams may conduct field visits to these states to better understand implementation strategies, though several internal consultations have already taken place. “We’re studying them for ideas,” one of the officials said.

The national capital’s excise policy typically undergoes annual technical revisions without major structural changes. The current regulatory framework largely derives from a 2003 overhaul, when the then Congress government first permitted private vendors to operate liquor shops. In 2021, the AAP government introduced sweeping reforms to privatise retail operations, modernise stores, and allow promotional discounts. However, the policy was abandoned after allegations of corruption and favouritism surfaced, leading to the arrest of several AAP leaders, including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The 2021-22 policy was withdrawn in August 2022 after Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. A temporary policy—most recently extended until June 30, 2025—has been in place since September 2022.

Since the rollback, only government establishments have been permitted to sell liquor in Delhi. The current network of approximately 700 shops is operated by four Delhi government corporations: Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi Consumer’s Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS), and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC).

Vinod Giri, director general of the Brewers Association of India, which represents major beer manufacturers, described Delhi’s current policy as obsolete.

“Delhi’s current policy is outdated. It was created when the socioeconomic context of the Capital was drastically different. A lot has changed since then,” Giri said. “The number of retail outlets is too low, shop quality is poor, and a drinking age of 25 is archaic. The current licensing and retailing environment is incompatible with any modern city, especially a national capital.”

Giri added that the lower age bar in Noida and Gurugram means lost sales for establishments in Delhi. ”During the consultations that the government will hold with industry stakeholders, we will put up this issue and request the government to make the drinking age in Delhi competitive with neighbouring cities,” he said.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the February 2025 assembly elections, confirmed that her government is developing a new framework.

“We’re just a month into government, so it’s too early to share specifics. But yes, the excise policy, along with industrial and warehousing policies, is being worked on,” she told Hindustan Times in a recent interview.

The Delhi government has projected ₹7,000 crore in revenue from liquor sales in its 2025-26 budget. According to official data reviewed by HT, revenue rose to approximately ₹7,766 crore in 2024-25 from ₹6,762 crore three years earlier—an increase of over 15%.