Sell liquor through supermarkets and ration shops, insists a PIL before Madras High Court

Madras High Court to hear PIL challenging Tasmac liquor monopoly, alleging corruption and advocating for alternative sales channels.

The Madras High Court is slated to hear on July 22 a public interest litigation (PIL) petition which has insisted on ending the monopoly of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) over wholesale and retail sale of liquor and instead permit the sale through supermarkets and ration shops.

The petition has been listed for admission before the first Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice K. Kumaresh Babu. S. Muralidharan, an IT firm employee from Chennai, had filed the case claiming that rampant corruption in Tasmac was the reason for several ills related to liquor.

The petitioner wondered how Tasmac could report to have suffered losses year after year despite recording turnover of over ₹40,000 crore during the same period. He relied upon data received through the Right to Information (RTI) Act to substantiate his claim of the corporation having reported losses.

He said, the turnover of Tasmac was ₹39,760.78 crore in 2020-21 and ₹42,421.34 crore in 2021-22 but it had reported loss of ₹161.45 crore and ₹69.92 crore respectively after paying taxes. “It means profits are diverted elsewhere/under the table to reach a few politicians,” he claimed.

Alleging that most of the breweries as well as distilleries which supply liquor to Tasmac were owned by politicians belonging to the ruling as well as opposition parties, the petitioner said, Tasmac misuses its monopoly in the business and sells only select brands of liquor much to the chagrin of the consumers.

Stating that availability of good quality liquor and a best night life for the executives to unwind in the evenings was essential to boost tourism and attract industries, the petitioner said, Tamil Nadu was losing out on both these fronts because of the corrupt practices prevalent in Tasmac.

He said, the reduction in footfall in Chennai airport and increase in footfall in Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports were an indication of the State slowly waning out of the travel map. “People who have tasted liquor in other States have testified that the quality is much better over there,” he claimed.