The Delhi government has banned Vat 69 whisky and Smirnoff vodka for two years. Govt banned its sale over the use of duplicate barcodes in Delhi. Scotch blended whisky Vat 69 and Smirnoff vodka brands are both created by Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company.
The court of Delhi financial commissioner has said these barcodes could be misused, and thus cause danger to the public. Duplicate or unauthorised barcodes can also be used to avoid tax.
To ensure safety and tax compliance, the Delhi government has directed all alcohol vends to ensure the sale of liquor through scanning from February.
The Delhi government’s financial commissioner has blacklisted Diageo’s subsidiary in India, United Spirits Limited (USL), for two years for selling their products using unauthorised barcodes, which violates provisions of the Delhi Excise Act, 2009. The court said it is “established that unauthorised barcodes were used. Moreover, the existence of loose barcodes has been established. These loose barcodes could easily be misused and cause danger to public health”.
The actual ban on these products was imposed for three years on May 22, 2017, but USL challenged the orders issued by the deputy commissioner and commissioner, the Delhi government’s excise department, and had moved the court of the Delhi financial commissioner. As per the initial order, the company’s Aurangabad and Sangrur units were banned from manufacturing Vat 69 whisky and Smirnoff vodka for three years. So now, stores in Delhi will not be able to sell these brands for the remaining period of around two years.
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