SC pulls up Punjab govt over liquor probe

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the progress in investigation into some cases of illicit liquor trade in Punjab and said the state is treating the issue with “kid gloves”. The apex court, which observed that poor and downtrodden people are the “sufferers” of hooch tragedies, directed the Punjab excise department to apprise it about the particulars concerning certain FIRs that have been lodged in this regard. The SC bench said it appears that no serious efforts seem to have been made to reach the real culprits who are in the business of manufacturing and transporting illegal liquor. “You are treating it with kids glove,” the bench observed.