Within our right to regulate industrial alcohol: Govt to Supreme Court

New Delhi, April 16

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Asserting its right to regulate industrial alcohol, the Union Government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that framers of the Constitution intended to give the Centre complete control over any industry through enactment of Industrial (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 in “public interest”.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a Bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that as per the Act, the development and regulation of a number of important industries, the activities of which affected the country as a whole, were required to be brought under central control.

Citing the example of Covid, the law officer said the government could utilise its regulatory power in national interest as it did during the outbreak by issuing orders to ensure availability of ethanol at a notified price for manufacturing sanitisers. “Suppose the Centre then required that entire quantity of industrial alcohol for use in making sanitisers, the government can utilise its regulatory power,” Mehta said.