Vehicles seized for criminal activity in Bihar may now be released by paying a 5x lower fine
Residents of Bihar who had their automobiles seized for trafficking alcohol may now have them freed by paying 10% of the insurance coverage instead of the previous 50%.
The decision was made by the chief minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet at a review meeting after it was discovered that thousands of automobiles were accumulating in police stations because the fines were too high.
Over 50,000 four-wheelers are collecting dust at the state’s 800 police stations, according to a report citing state police sources. The lack of care and maintenance has resulted in the cars breaking down or rusting in some instances.
“Owners choose not to have their automobiles freed since the market value of the majority of these cars was less than 50% of the insurance coverage at the time of their seizure. However, as owners of automobiles will now only be required to pay a fifth of that sum, they will be urged to have their vehicles freed, according to a senior police official.
“After following the regular legal procedure, one may now get the release of their car by paying the relevant authorities 10% of the insurance coverage up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh. According to Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) S Siddharth, the revised guidelines would be announced shortly.
The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, has had four significant revisions since April 2022, the most recent of which is the most recent modification. According to the IE article, the state Cabinet authorized the immediate release of first-time drinkers in April 2022 in exchange for a fine of Rs 2,000–5,000 as opposed to the previous penalty of obligatory incarceration. Now, even the seizure of the offender’s residence after a liquor recovery may be overturned.
