Penalty of Rs 1 lakh placed on 7/12 extracts of 10 guarantors of illicit liquor traders

Nashik: The Rahuri police and revenue department have jointly imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each on the 7/12 land extracts of 10 guarantors after illicit liquor traders, for whom they had provided surety, violated the good-behaviour bond with the local administration, and resumed illegal activities.

The action follows the traders’ failure to pay fines levied for breaching the legally binding undertaking to abstain from the illicit liquor trade, police officers said. With the accused defaulting, the administration moved to recover the amount from their guarantors by marking the dues directly on their land records.

Inspector Sanjay Thenge, of Rahuri police station, said, “We had registered 375 liquor prohibition cases over the past one and half years. And we had also decided to take preventive action against habitual offenders.”

The Rahuri police had submitted a formal proposal to Shrirampur sub-divisional officer (SDO) Kiran Patil, seeking action against repeat offenders. The SDO accepted good-behaviour bonds of Rs 1 lakh each from 121 illicit liquor sellers, binding them to desist from illegal trade.

However, 10 of these accused violated the conditions and were again caught selling illicit liquor. Following the breach, the SDO directed them to pay the bond amount, but when they failed to do so, orders were issued on Tuesday to recover the fines from their guarantors’ land records.

Following the development, inspector Thenge issued a stern appeal to the residents of Rahuri Taluka. “When standing as guarantor for any accused, people must ensure that the individual strictly complies with the terms and conditions of their release. If the accused violates the agreement, govt recovery amount will be registered as a financial burden on the guarantor’s 7/12 land extract.”

The operation was carried out under the guidance of superintendent of police Mummaka Sudarshan, additional SP Somnath Wakchaure, and sub-divisional police officer Jaydatta Bhavar.