Karnataka To Maintain Minimum Age Of 21 Years To Buy Alcohol Following Backlash

The Karnataka state government has decided to remove the planned modification and maintain the current age requirement of 21 years due to complaints over the draft rules lowering the legal age for the purchase of alcohol in the state to 18 years on Wednesday (January 18). According to the Karnataka Excise department, organisations, the general public, and the media have all voiced opposition to the decision.

To Replace The Words Twenty-One With Eighteen

The Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, section 36(1)(g), forbids selling alcoholic beverages to those under 18. The sale of alcohol to those under the age of 21 is nonetheless prohibited under Rule 10(1)(e) of the Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licences) Rules, 1967, the department stated in a release.

According to the department, a draft notification dated January 9 has been issued to change the rule proposing to replace the terms 'eighteen years' with 'twenty-one years,' following the suggestions of the High-Level Committee. It was established for efficient implementation, to identify and eliminate unnecessary portions of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the Rules adopted thereunder, reported The Economic Times.

The proposed regulations published to modify Rule 10 (1)(e) of the Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licences) Rules, 1967, and replace the words eighteen years with twenty-one years have been withdrawn with immediate effect, in consideration of the objections raised, said the release.

People Of Karnataka Assent

Shivani Reddy, a 26-year-old resident of Bengaluru, appreciated the continuation of age 21, saying, "I think teenagers have this excitement/ curiosity to try alcohol, and they might not be able to handle it well. Once they reach 21, they will be more responsible and can also handle their drinks well."

Sanjay Ponnappa, a 23-year-old student in Bangalore, said, "I don't think that a change would've brought any considerable change in the sales since it's only in the premier clubs and pubs where an ID is checked before serving alcohol. It would've been only an official change and nothing else. "It will keep teenagers from consuming alcohol", but will it really? Keeping that in mind, it might still be good for the youngsters to keep them away to a certain extent and let them get exposed to the party culture one step at a time."

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