Chennai: In a significant move aimed at curbing liquor overcharging and improving transparency in retail liquor sales, the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) to ensure that every retail liquor shop in the State maintains a bill book and issues a bill for every bottle of liquor sold. Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan passed the order while hearing a criminal writ petition filed by G. Devarajan, an advocate clerk who alleged that several TASMAC outlets in Chennai had collected amounts higher than the prescribed Maximum Retail Price (MRP) between 2022 and 2026.
The petitioner had sought directions to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against employees of 30 TASMAC retail shops accused of overcharging customers. He also requested that the excess money allegedly collected be recovered and deposited into government coffers and that the salesmen, supervisors and managers involved in the malpractice be subjected to disciplinary action.
During the hearing, TASMAC’s standing counsel K. Sathish Kumar informed the court that five of the 30 shops mentioned in the petition had already been closed. The High Court then directed TASMAC to produce stock-cum-sale registers and shop-wise bill summaries for examination.
The records submitted before the court showed that the retail liquor shops were maintaining details such as opening stock, inward bottles, bottles sold and total cash collected from customers. However, the documents revealed that bill books were not being maintained and individual bills were not being issued to consumers for liquor purchases.
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Expressing strong disapproval of this practice, Justice Ilanthiraiyan ordered that all TASMAC retail liquor shops across Tamil Nadu must issue bills for every bottle of liquor sold. The court further directed that customers should stand in a queue outside the shops while purchasing liquor bottles, a measure intended to improve orderliness and reduce irregularities in liquor sales.
The High Court Registry has been instructed to list the matter again on Friday, August 7, 2026, for reporting compliance with the directions issued by the court. The order is being viewed as an important step toward ensuring greater accountability, transparency and consumer protection in Tamil Nadu’s government-run liquor retail system, particularly in light of repeated complaints regarding TASMAC overcharging and non-issuance of liquor bills.
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