After fatal Nedumbassery accident, Keralam govt to tighten action against bars serving alcohol to under-23s

Keralam Excise Minister M. Liju (file) | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran Keralam Excise and Cooperation Minister M. Liju has assured strict action against bars that serve alcohol to people below the legal drinking age of 23 in wake of the fatal road road accident near Nedumbassery in Kochi that claimed the lives of three young people.Responding to a question raised by Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), the Minister said the Excise Department has registered cases against three bars for allegedly serving alcohol to the 19-year-old driver involved in the accident. He added that the government was considering stricter guidelines to prevent violations of the existing law.Raising the issue in the House, Mr. Vinod pointed out that Abkari Act prescribes 23 years as the minimum age for consuming alcohol at bars. He expressed concern that the rule was frequently violated and asked what measures the government intended to take to enforce age verification more rigorously and punish establishments that served alcohol to underage customers.In his reply, Mr. Liju lamented that the tragic accident led to the loss of lives because of alleged drunken and reckless driving. Following the incident, he had directed senior Excise Department officials to act immediately. The department subsequently initiated legal proceedings against the three establishments who are suspected of serving alcohol to the underage driver.The Minister stressed that the government would not compromise on the issue. He observed that several road accidents in the State have been caused by people driving under the influence of alcohol and other intoxicating substances, resulting in the loss of innocent lives.He went on to add that the government would pursue stronger enforcement measures and was considering additional guidelines to prevent bars from serving alcohol to people below 23 years of age. Published - October 13, 2026 02:44 pm IST