Toddy has a distinct identity from what constitutes liquor and should not be included in the Supreme Court’s nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol within 500 metres of National and State Highways. “Toddy is even exempted on dry days (days on which sale of alcohol is prohibited),” toddy traders from Kerala told the Supreme Court on Friday.
A Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, after some preliminary questions on “what is this toddy”, sought responses from the Centre and the Kerala government on the plea made by the Toddy Shop Licensee Association.
The traders, represented by advocate Beena Madhavan, dubbed toddy as a natural drink sourced from coconut trees in the State and with such “minuscule” alcohol content that it cannot be clubbed with any form of liquor.
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“Traditionally toddy has been considered different from other forms of liquor,” their petition contended.
They submitted in court that the ban had led to the closure of toddy shops and affected the livelihood of an already vulnerable community, which includes traditional toddy tappers. The traders argued that even the State of Kerala treated toddy differently from liquor or other alcoholic drinks. The Kerala Abkari Act of 1902 distinctly defines toddy from spirit, beer, liquor and arrack.
Even the Kerala Abkari Shops Dispoal Rules of 2002 gives toddy a distinct identity.
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The court had imposed the nationwide ban on sale of liquor as an antidote to fatal road accidents caused by drunk driving.