Smirnoff Vodka, VAT 69 whiskey banned in Delhi

New Delhi : Delhi government on Saturday banned sale of Smirnoff Vodka, VAT 69 whiskey in the national capital. The action comes after reports of duplicate barcodes are being used on the bottles.

The ban will remain effective for the duration of two years, disallowing shops from selling these brands to the people.

Firstly, the ban was ordered in May 2017, but the company challenged it and the matter was hanging till date. A financial commissioner of the Delhi Government had raised concerns claiming that the manufacturer of the liquor, United Spirits Limited (USL) has been blacklisted for using a duplicate barcode.

"I am of the view that the appellant violated provisions of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009, Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, the terms and conditions of the license issued to it and the standard operating procedure framed by the Delhi Excise Department and that consequently the department has rightly imposed the penalty of blacklisting under Rule 70 of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010 upon United Spirits LTD (USL), Aurangabad,” the financial commissioner reportedly said in the order.

The excise department has blacklisted USL’s, Aurangabad, and its additional source, Sangrur, Punjab, it further read.