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New price stickers in old bottles allowed

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 1 � The Gauhati High Court has dismissed three writ petitions challenging the excise department�s decision to affix new price stickers on old stocks of liquor bottles following increase in the excise duty in the State with effect from June 1.

The process of affixing new MRP sticker as per the modified rate chart will be allowed on the stocks of liquor that were manufactured prior to June 1, the court observed.

Unlike what was contended by the petitioners, the court was of the opinion that the levying of excise duty being a State subject, there was no role of the legal metrology department in the case in question. �As the new excise duty is also levied on the old stock before reaching to the end consumers, affixing of price stickers is justified,� the court noted.

The excise department, it needs mention, had by a letter dated June 8 intimated the legal metrology department about the enhanced ad valorem levy (excise duty) on IMFL/beer etc., with effect from June 1 and that the MRP of all the liquor brands had accordingly been enhanced with effect from the same day.

In the letter, it was also said that as there was a huge stock lying in the warehouses of the manufacturers and bonded warehouses, the Superintendent of Excise concerned had already been instructed to take the stock position of old stocks and issue the same to the retailers after realisation of enhanced excise duty, from the bonded warehouses and affixing the enhanced new MRP with the help of stickers.

The first writ petition was filed by Sushmita Das, a licence holder of IMFL on June 10, followed by two other petitions which were filed on June 15 and June 19.

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