Death in a bottle

‘Hooch’ is a death knell for the thousands in India. The term originates from the tribal Alaskan word, "Hoochinoo," which refers to a strong distilled liquor of inferior quality.1 Also called bootleg or moonshine, it is basically counterfeit alcohol manufactured domestically or in illegal establishments.

Mass casualties from hooch are a common occurrence across several regions in India mainly affecting economically disadvantaged communities. In the past few decades, India has recorded the highest number of fatalities worldwide due to spurious liquor. The current reality facing the nation is a recurring problem, alongside an expanding backstreet presence of a large illicit liquor market. This makes enforcing liquor laws and regulating such a pervasive yet hidden industry a challenging issue for the authorities, with consumers bearing the heaviest brunt.

The production of hooch carries an inherent risk of contamination because of the inadequate processes used in their making. Improper methods and equipment can lead to the concentration of elevated levels of methanol and heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic Methyl alcohol, or methanol, being the most common adulterant used, as it is a significantly cheaper substitute for consumable ethanol.
3 Primarily meant for industrial purposes, methanol is then illegally misused by unscrupulous distillers to increase the potency and volume of spurious liquor. This is highly toxic for human beings and fatal when consumed in high amounts. Some tainted alcohol mixtures have also been found to contain camphor, tobacco, pesticides, and even dry-cell batteries, brewed in unsanitary conditions.4

There is a significant demand for imported or ‘Indian-made foreign liquor’, but its high cost renders it beyond the reach of 80% of the local population in India
.5 This causes low-income groups mainly comprising slum-dwellers, casual and poorly paid labourers, to gravitate towards moonshine due to its cheaper price compared to the commercially available brands. As a result, bootleggers or unauthorised persons operate an extensive, unorganized and illegal but hugely profitable trade, by selling vast quantities of adulterated alcohol at reduced rates to the poor, while evading taxes.6

Samples of counterfeit alcohol usually always test positive for methanol. The absence of quality control in hooch production makes it difficult for consumers to determine the precise alcohol content and to identify the presence of any potential contaminants.
Unfortunately, this lack of information, makes the poor and illiterate fall victims to such consumption.

The grim reality across India

There have been numerous instances where India literally drank itself to death. There is almost no state in the country that has been spared from the deep and dark abyss of spurious liquor.

In recent times, one of the deadliest methanol poisonings occurred in the Golaghat and Jorhat districts of Assam in 2019, with at least 168 fatalities reported.7 Assam finds its bootleg liquor production and consumption usually in and around the state’s tea plantations where it is consumed by poor labourers.

In 2020, Punjab experienced at least 100 fatalities, due to local bootleggers using sewage, industrial waste, and polluted water as adulterants. The deadly concoction included lizard skin, alprazolam tablets and muscle relaxant balms.
In 2024, Kallakurichi, one of the most backward districts in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, witnessed the most unfortunate hooch tragedy. The victims were mostly daily-wage earners from marginalized communities, and post-mortem reports revealed a common cause of death: methanol poisoning.10 Shockingly, there were additional victims from amongst the funeral attendees of the first victims, who later purchased and consumed illicit liquor sourced from the same batch of poisoned alcohol that had claimed lives earlier. This, and reports of the prevalent sale of illicit alcohol during evening hours, also noting that the main distribution route was left unchecked by the local police and district administration, indicates a major oversight and failure on the part of the authorities.11

Punjab, in May 2025, saw 23 additional deaths in the town of Majitha. The police investigation revealed that methanol was used to produce the counterfeit liquor, and the main accused had procured it online.12

Contributing Factors

The inability to afford licensed, genuine, and high-quality liquor drives consumers to opt for hooch, the cost of which is much lower than legal alcohol due to the evasion of excise duty and taxes by its producers. Therefore, poverty and lack of regulation are major contributors to the problem.
Unregulated distilleries also thrive in areas with prohibition laws where they can discreetly produce and sell spurious liquor due to weak enforcement and the exploitation of legal loopholes, enabling the illegal trade to flourish.
People turn to unsafe alternatives when legal alcohol is unavailable. As evidenced in states where alcohol is banned or heavily restricted, even ‘dry states’ such as Gujarat and Bihar, prohibition laws have inadvertently fuelled the black market for illicit liquor.13 So instead of reducing consumption, prohibition has further pushed the trade underground.
Powerful local mafias and corrupt officials worsen the problem. This nexus instils fear in the community, preventing them from reporting the illegal trade. Moreover, there is no system for anonymous reporting of bootlegging activities to the authorities.
Another significant factor is the easy access to methanol due to its widespread industrial use. This makes it harder for authorities to regulate its supply. With it being touted as an alternative energy source, methanol is likely to become even more accessible in the future and therefore, easily available for further misuse.14

The ambit of law and governance

Article 47 of the Constitution of India advocates for the prohibition of alcohol as one of its Directive Principles of State Policy. In the context of public health, it aims to protect citizens from the harmful effects of intoxicants. Rooted in Gandhian ideals and legally non-enforceable, it serves as an aspiration and guiding principle that reflects only the moral duties of the State. The stark reality instead is that India faces a burgeoning nationwide demand for alcohol, which simply highlights the need for structured laws, effective enforcement, thorough and stringent quality control measures, to essentially ensure safe production, distribution and consumption of licensed and genuine liquor for the masses. This will enhance public confidence in the law and promote good governance.
‘Alcohol’ is a subject in the State List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. Therefore, alcohol laws vary across states, which have the exclusive authority to.regulate its production, sale, distribution, and taxation, contributing significantly to state revenue.
The Excise Act of 1944, regulates the production and distribution of alcohol, including penalties for illegal manufacturing. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, includes specific sections like 103 (murder), and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), for hooch-related deaths.
Stringent laws do exist for those involved in the production and sale of illicit liquor, including heavy fines and imprisonment, but despite these regulations, their weak implementation at the local level results in recurring tragedies.

Way forward

The WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (2010), advocates for controlling availability, reducing demand through pricing policies, and preventing illicit alcohol production.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau report titled, “Accidental deaths & suicides in India”,15 the consumption of spurious liquor results in more fatalities than drug overdoses in India. This data highlights the serious public health impact of counterfeit alcohol in the nation, reindicating the need for stronger policing and regulation.
Costing one-fourth of the cheapest ‘Indian-made foreign liquor’, the masses get enticed by inexpensive hooch. Reducing the price and rationalizing taxes while ensuring the availability of safe, affordable and regulated alcohol will therefore make a marked difference to the disadvantaged communities.16
Authorities periodically conduct raids and enforce stringent laws to prevent the manufacture and sale of spurious liquor, but these efforts are often reactive. Police actions have had limited success, and the black market persists, posing ongoing risks. One major hurdle confronting law enforcement during raids and investigations is the fact that hooch manufacturers are often tipped off well in advance before the prohibition and excise officials arrive at these illegal establishments. This is a huge impediment to justice that requires a strict crackdown on corruption within the ranks.
Using technologies such as GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping, CCTV surveillance, and digital tools like blockchain ledgers for real-time tracking andenhanced surveillance of the entire supply chain, will improve enforcement and help identify illegal brewing hotspots and distilleries.
It is imperative to conduct public awareness campaigns in vulnerable regions to educate the local populace about the risks associated with counterfeit liquor and methanol poisoning. Local stakeholders should be involved to discourage consumption and report illegal brewing activities, while immediate incentives like rewarding hooch-hunters or police informers could assist in the swift delivery of justice.17
Lastly, police and excise officials should be held strictly accountable with clear benchmarks, including disciplinary actions such as suspension and prosecution for those found negligent or complicit in the crime.

An India sans unnecessary deaths

The takeaway from this deadly issue remains that locally available brew naturally has a greater appeal for the impoverished due to poverty, and ignorance of the dangers of hooch.18
Long-term interventions, cutting down the hooch supply and stricter laws to deter criminal activity in the alcohol industry are the need of the hour.19
Such crimes that ruin society must be suppressed with an iron fist calling for a policy of zero tolerance towards illicit liquor trade. Transparency and upholding the rule of law in investigations is crucial to bring the perpetrators to justice regardless of their status and influence.
Our collective endeavours as stakeholders must be to maintain very high ethical standards and efficiency in managing the ongoing crisis. The consumers are the most severely affected, hence, our priorities must focus on providing relief and justice to the victims and families affected by hooch tragedies, and to dismantle the illegal liquor trade and their supporters.
The counterfeit liquor menace reflects broader issues of socio-economic disparity, governance, and the effectiveness of prohibition policies. It is high time for a serious, coordinated and multi-faceted approach involving stricter regulation, consumer awareness, enforcement accountability, and community engagement to break the cycle of poverty, profiteering, and neglect, that is fuelling the illicit liquor trade.
We, at Lex Meliora, have addressed this issue with utmost concern and are deeply committed to continue fighting the battle against hooch alongside the authorities. We are currently actively engaged not only as lawyers but as field investigators, whistleblowers, brand protectors, networking, informing and keeping abreast with developments in the sector. Our aim is to disrupt this nefarious network gradually but surely throughout the nation, one district/establishment at a time, and to keep the public aware and informed. While we diligently work at the ground-level to combat illicit liquor, we are resolute not only in our quest for justice for the less privileged but simultaneously strive to serve the interests of companies to provide them the safest brand protection and compatible anti-counterfeiting solutions.