CHENNAI: Asking why the Prohibition and Excise Department failed to take action despite being well aware that illicit liquor is being sold in the State, the Madras High Court said that the failure of the State machinery in preventing the sale of illicit liquor would be taken into consideration while disposing of the petitions seeking to quash the Goondas Act detentions of the accused booked in connection with the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.

A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice M Jothiraman was hearing a batch of habeas corpus petitions seeking to quash the preventive detention of the accused allegedly responsible for the hooch tragedy that claimed 68 lives in June and July.

During the hearing, the court asked the State government to explain the grounds on which the accused were detained under the Goondas Act. Responding to this, Advocate General (AG) PS Raman submitted that the State invoked the provisions of the Act because they were in the illegal business of selling hooch for a long period. Hence, it was decided to detain them to prevent the sale of illicit liquor in Kallakurichi, he added.

To this, the bench asked why no action was taken even though the government was aware of the reality that hooch is available in Tamil Nadu.

The final hearing on the batch of petitions would be on January 6, 2025, the bench said and adjourned the matter.