Dry State, Wet Reality: Documents Reveal Huge Loopholes in Gujarat's Prohibition

(We are able to do such stories because of our editorial independence. Become a member and power our journalism)“What kind of prohibition is this?” Member of Parliament Umesh Patel asked while speaking on The Health Security–National Security Cess Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha earlier on 5 December 2025. Pointing to contradictions in Gujarat’s liquor policy, Patel said that legal permits for alcohol consumption are issued in the state, 77 hotels have been granted licences to serve liquor, and alcohol consumption is even permitted in GIFT City. “Liquor is sold, permits are issued, yet there is still a ban in place,” he said, adding that a black market worth an estimated ₹25,000–30,000 crore is flourishing in Gujarat.In Gujarat, the issue of prohibition has once again moved to the centre of political debate. The Congress has launched the Jan Akrosh Yatra, with Congress MLAs making sharp allegations against the state government over what they describe as the easy availability of liquor and drugs despite the official ban. The opposition has accused the BJP government of maintaining a “selective prohibition” regime that exists largely on paper while illegal access continues on the ground.Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also weighed in on the issue, tweeting on 2nd December, 2025, amid the Congress party’s Jan Akrosh Yatra in Gujarat. “During the Congress party’s ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’ in Gujarat, people, especially women have repeatedly stated that the rising drug problem, illegal liquor trade and crime in the state have deepened their sense of insecurity,” Gandhi said. Referring to Gujarat’s legacy, he added, “Gujarat is the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, a land with a tradition of truth, morality and justice, but for the past few years, the future of the state’s youth is being pushed towards the dark world of drugs and crime.”Gandhi alleged that women were being forced to take to the streets “because criminals are receiving protection from those in power, while they themselves are met with only neglect.” Questioning the state government, he asked, “Why is the BJP government silent? Which BJP minister is providing protection for all this? Why are the traitors of Gujarat being shielded?”Gujarat Govt Proposes Mandatory Parental Consent for Marriage RegistrationInformation obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications and data tabled in the Gujarat Assembly suggest that Gujarat’s prohibition regime functions through selective legal access rather than a uniform ban. While alcohol consumption remains officially prohibited for the general population, government records show that certain sections of society—through permits, licensed hotels and designated zones such as GIFT City—have lawful access to liquor. This dual system, critics argue, has institutionalised unequal enforcement, allowing legal consumption for some while others remain subject to prohibition, penalties and criminalisation.Broadly, there are three recognised legal routes through which alcohol can be accessed in Gujarat. The first is through health-based permits issued on medical grounds. The second is tourist permits granted to visitors from outside the state. The third is access permitted in specific geographical zones, most notably GIFT City, along with other notified locations and licensed establishments—a list that has expanded in recent years.The link between alcohol and cancer has been firmly established for decades. In 1988, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing it in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Scientific evidence shows that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, breast (in women), liver and colorectum. Any alcoholic beverage can increase cancer risk, as both ethanol and acetaldehyde—the toxic byproduct formed when alcohol is metabolised in the body—are carcinogenic. Yet in Gujarat, alcohol permits continue to be issued on “health grounds,” raising questions about the logic underpinning the state’s prohibition policy.Despite Gujarat’s long-standing prohibition policy, official data show that liquor permits issued on health grounds are almost rarely rejected across districts. An examination of Assembly replies and RTI responses indicates that nearly all applications for the medical certificates to get the liquor license are approved, raising questions about the level of scrutiny and medical evaluation involved in granting such permits.According to a reply tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on June 15, 2025, Gandhinagar district received 950 applications between February 1, 2023, and January 31, 2025 seeking medical certificates and permits required to obtain liquor on health grounds. All 950 applications were approved, reflecting a 100 per cent acceptance rate over the two-year period.A similar pattern emerges across several other districts. Junagadh received 469 applications, Dahod 75, Mehsana 308, and Anand 844 during the same period. Every application in these districts was cleared, with the Assembly reply recording no rejections.Gujarat Passes UCC Bill; CM Bhupendra Patel Invokes 'Sanatan Values'Smaller districts reported the same trend. Botad received 39 applications and Amreli 116, with all applicants granted permits. Taken together, the figures suggest that rejections are either extremely rare or entirely absent, despite liquor permits being issued under a narrowly defined, health-based exemption in a prohibition state.RTI data accessed separately extend this pattern beyond the two-year period covered by the Assembly reply. In Bharuch district, not a single application for a health-based liquor permit was rejected over a five-year period. In Bhavnagar, no applications were received at all over the last four years, according to RTI responses.The near-uniform approval of applications across districts has raised questions about whether the health-ground provision is being applied as an exception, as envisaged under prohibition laws, or has effectively become a routine route for obtaining liquor permits.A senior doctor in Gujarat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, alleged that an organised network of agents operates to facilitate health-based liquor permits, drawing a parallel with middlemen involved in vehicle registrations at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs). “Like RTO agents for car registration, there are agents for health liquor permits in Gujarat,” the doctor said. “The amounts involved in the process are substantial, running into several lakhs of rupees.”Comparative population and application data appear to reinforce these concerns. Surat, with a population of about 6.08 million, received 6,975 applications for health-based liquor permits during the period under review, of which 6,864—nearly 98 per cent—were approved. Vadodara, with a population of around 4.17 million, received only 667 applications.In relative terms, Vadodara’s applications amount to less than 10 per cent of Surat’s total, despite having nearly two-thirds of Surat’s population. The disparity suggests that population size alone does not explain the variation, pointing instead to differences in access, facilitation, or enforcement of health-based liquor permits across districts.More ironic is that Gujarat's prohibition policy is rooted in the state’s association with Mahatma Gandhi, who strongly opposed alcohol consumption. However, RTI records show that Mahatma Gandhi Smarak Hospital in Surendranagar issued 786 medical certificates for liquor permits between 2021 and 2024. Similarly, the Porbandar health department—located in Gandhi’s hometown—issued 1,596 medical certificates for liquor permits during the same four-year period.Despite Gujarat’s prohibition law, tourists visiting the state can legally obtain liquor permits through an online e-permit system or directly from authorised hotels, liquor vendors, and tourism offices. The process requires submission of valid identification—such as a passport and visa for foreign nationals or a government-issued ID for domestic tourists along with document uploads, payment of prescribed fees, and final verification at designated outlets.Arvind Kejriwal Boycotts Delhi HC Liquor Case Before Judge Swarana Kanta SharmaAssam is Now the ‘Gujarat of the Northeast’: How BJP Cemented Its HoldData obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act indicates that a significant number of such permits have been issued across districts. In Kutch, authorities issued 4,153, 4,395, and 3,659 tourist liquor permits in 2022,2023 and 2024, according to the information provided.In Surat, more than 32,000 tourist liquor permits were issued between 2015 and 2025, the RTI data shows. Ahmedabad also recorded a steady rise, with 9,135 permits issued in 2022, 9,888 in 2023, and 11,207 in 2024.Interestingly, information about Gujarat’s tourist liquor permit system is publicly promoted on overseas Indian consulate websites. The website of the Consulate General of India in Toronto, for instance, provides a detailed outline of the procedure for tourists to obtain permission to consume alcohol in Gujarat and also lists hotels where liquor consumption is allowed for tourists in the otherwise dry state. The Gujarat Tourism website, too, carries a separate section guiding visitors to the online portal for applying for an e-permit.On December 30, 2023, the Gujarat government permitted the consumption of liquor within Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), carving out a major exception to the state’s prohibition regime. The notification exempted persons working in or visiting GIFT City for official purposes from the provisions of Sections 40, 40A and 40B of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949, which prohibit the consumption, sale, and possession of alcohol.According to information provided by the Chief Minister in the Gujarat Assembly, liquor sales in GIFT City over the last two years included 3,324 bulk litres of spirits, 470 bulk litres of wine, and 19,915 bulk litres of beer. The state government earned a total revenue of ₹94.19 lakh from these sales.The Gujarat government has progressively eased liquor consumption norms in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) through a series of policy changes and official notifications over the past two years.In April 2025, the state government relaxed its liquor policy for GIFT City, allowing employees working in the financial hub to apply directly to the government for temporary or group liquor permits. The revised framework removed the earlier requirement of obtaining approval through a company-appointed recommendation officer.An 15 April notification issued by the state home department clarified that employees no longer need to route their applications through their employers. Instead, they can directly apply to an authorised officer of the government authority for permits to consume liquor within GIFT City.Subsequently, on 20th December, 2025, the state government issued a gazette notification further easing liquor consumption rules in GIFT City. Under this notification, non-residents and foreign nationals were allowed to consume liquor at designated hotels and restaurants within the area without obtaining a temporary permit.As per the notification, visitors can now order liquor by simply presenting a valid photo identity card. The move builds on a 2023 exemption that first permitted limited liquor consumption in GIFT City, creating a distinct regulatory exception within Gujarat, a state governed by prohibition lawsIn June 2026, the Gujarat government further relaxed liquor regulations for the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) by sharply reducing taxes on alcohol served within the business district. Through a notification issued, the Finance Department cut the Value Added Tax (VAT) on liquor from 65 per cent to 25 per cent and abolished the special fee of Rs 240 charged on every 30 ml serving.To facilitate tourists in obtaining liquor permits, the Gujarat government has launched a dedicated website—https://eps.gujarat.gov.in—through which the entire application process and issuance of the permit is conducted online. According to media reports, the state government is also planning to introduce a mobile application for the same service in the near future.Amid these developments, Gujarat’s leading Gujarati daily Gujarat Samachar reported on November 7 that liquor concessions are being extended in the state under the pretext of promoting tourism. The report said that after GIFT City, the government is considering allowing alcohol consumption facilities for tourists at major destinations such as Surat’s Diamond Bourse, the Statue of Unity, and the Rannotsav in Kutch.Data tabled in the Gujarat Assembly shows that 28 hotels across the two districts - Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad have permission to sell liquor under Gujarat’s prohibition regime — 22 in Ahmedabad district and six in Gandhinagar district.However, information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act points to a steady expansion in such permissions over the past decade. According to the RTI reply, as of April 20, 2025, 26 hotels in Ahmedabad alone were authorised to sell alcohol. Of these, 20 permissions were granted between 2015 and 2025, indicating that until 2015, only six hotels in the district had licences to sell liquor. The number has since more than quadrupled.The trend is visible in other districts as well. In Surat, six hotels currently hold permission to sell alcohol, two of which were granted in the last decade. In Kutch, a total of seven hotels are authorised, with three permissions issued between 2015 and 2025.Taken together, the official records suggest a gradual but consistent increase in legal access to liquor through select hotels in Gujarat, despite the state’s long-standing policy of prohibition.Despite Gujarat's longstanding prohibition policy, rooted in the state's association with Mahatma Gandhi, who strongly opposed alcohol consumption, the state government has permitted the operation of liquor outlets in Porbandar, Gandhi's birthplace. Seeking details of these permissions, this reporter filed RTI applications with the Porbandar district administration and the Directorate of Prohibition. While the district administration refused to accept the RTI application, the Directorate of Prohibition has yet to provide the requested information. The matter is currently pending before the Gujarat Information Commission following an appeal against the denial of information. Congress MP Geniben Thakor criticised the Gujarat government’s governance during a Jan Akrosh rally in November 2025, alleging stark disparities in access to essential goods and prohibited substances across the state.“In Gujarat, farmers have to walk 2–5 kilometres and stand in long queues just to procure fertiliser, and often return empty-handed. At the same time, liquor is easily available within 500 metres to one kilometre, and even delivered to homes. The system has reached a point where essentials are difficult to access, while banned items are readily available.”Her remarks come against the backdrop of government data placed in the State Assembly, which points to the widespread presence of illegal alcohol and drugs despite prohibition. Responses to MLAs’ questions on liquor and drug seizures indicate the scale at which illicit networks continue to operate across Gujarat.According to the Assembly reply, enforcement agencies seized nearly 30 lakh beer bottles and 2.48 lakh bottles of foreign liquor in Ahmedabad city alone in 2023. In Mehsana district, the home district of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 68,969 bottles of foreign liquor were seized during the same period.The data further shows that the problem is not limited to major cities. In Chikhli, a small town in south Gujarat, authorities seized 7.44 lakh bottles of foreign liquor in 2024, underlining the reach of illicit alcohol trade into smaller urban and semi-urban areas.This dual system of governance where a prohibition regime exists alongside selective permissions—has created a stark inequality in access to alcohol. While those with resources can legally obtain permits and consume liquor in designated spaces, the poor are often pushed towards illegal and unsafe alternatives. The consequences of this disparity have been deadly. On July 25, 2022, at least 42 people died and more than 97 others were hospitalised in Gujarat after consuming spurious liquor laced with methanol, underscoring how the contradictions within the prohibition policy continue to place the most vulnerable at risk.Gujarat Passes UCC Bill; CM Bhupendra Patel Invokes 'Sanatan Values'

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Dry State, Wet Reality: Documents Reveal Huge Loopholes in Gujarat's Prohibition

Health permits, tourist licenses and GIFT City's alcohol rules, several loopholes are promoting alcohol in Gujarat.

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Topics: Gujarat Gujarat Police Gujarat Government