2 sentenced to 3 yr jail for prohibition violation

Chandrapur: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Warora, Anand Karbhajan pronounced rigorous imprisonment term of three years to convicts in two separate cases of violation of liquor prohibition on Thursday. Convict Nepal Dare from village Amdi and Valmiki Wadhai from village Astha were found guilty of illegal possession of liquor in dry Chandrapur district.
These are rare and most severe punishments levied upon the convicts for violating liquor ban in nearly 13 months of prohibition in Chandrapur district.Police sources claimed that convict Dare was arrested and booked under section 65 (e) of Mumbai Prohibition Act following an intelligence based raid on his residence. A total of 65 bottles of country liquor were found on April 4, 2015. Similarly, other convict Walmiki Wadhai too was found in possession of illegal liquor while he disembarked the MSRTC bus at Shegaon village. He too was arrested and booked under section 65 (e) of Mumbai Prohibition Act.
On the basis of deposition of witnesses and substantial evidences Karbhajan pronounced them guilty of the offence during their respective hearings and sentenced them to three years of rigorous imprisonment term. Government pleader Sanjay Dhawre appeared for state in both the cases.
Both these convictions are considered significant light of the fact that mere six accused in liquor violation cases have been convicted between 2015 and 2016 so far. Official sources in police department claimed that as many as 1493 cases of violation of prohibition were finalized during the year 2015, but accused were convicted only in four instances, while rest were dismissed for lack of evidences. Between January and March, different courts finalized as many as 209 cases of prohibition violation and only in two instances accused were convicted. Officials claimed that this is the severest punishment pronounced against the convicts in liquor ban violation.