No uniform definition of liquor ‘bottle’; SC seeks response from Centre, States

Key points

• The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) sought a response from the Centre and States on a plea that excise laws differ widely from State to State, even on the point of clearly identifying what a liquor ‘bottle’ really looks like.
• Chief Justice of India Surya Kant agreed that the lack of clear, uniform and harmonious definition of the term ‘bottle’ in excise laws across the country has led to a “very deceptive packaging” of cheap alcohol, which is even labelled as ‘fruit juice’.
• The duplicitous marketing of liquor has led to a dramatic increase in the public consumption.
• “There is ‘green apple’ vodka…
• This is very deceptive,” Chief Justice Kant said.