No lifting of toddy ban in T. N., centralised monitoring of palm tree impossible, says govt. in HC

The Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court it does not intend to lift the ban on toddy tapping from palm trees.

In a counter-affidavit filed in the court in response to a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the government to review the policy governing prohibition of palmyra and coconut toddy, the government said there was no discriminatory approach, rather, the differential treatment rests on an intelligible differentia—monitorability and public-health risk—having a rational nexus with the objective sought to be achieved, namely, the prevention of consumption of adulterated and unsafe intoxicating liquor.

The State continues its endeavour to bring about prohibition of intoxicating drinks that are injurious to public health consistent with the directive principle contained in Article 47 of the Constitution.