Kerala has booked three bars for allegedly serving liquor to underage accused in the Kochi crash case. The move signals tougher enforcement as the government weighs stricter checks on bars statewide.
Kerala to crack down on bars serving liquor to under 23-s after Kochi Mini Cooper crash (File Photo: ITG)
Thiruvananthapuram,Oct 13, 2026 13:49 IST
The Kerala government will take stringent action against bars that serve alcohol to people below the legal age of 23, Excise Minister M B Rajesh told the Assembly on Tuesday while referring to the Mini Cooper crash near Kochi that killed three youngsters on Sunday.
Replying to a question from Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod, the minister said the Excise Department had already registered cases against three bars for allegedly serving liquor to the accused persons who were below the prescribed age. “The state government will not compromise on this issue under any circumstances,” he said.
Rajesh said the Excise Department acted immediately after the incident came to his attention and that he had instructed senior officials to take prompt action. He also said the government was considering stricter guidelines to prevent bars from serving alcohol to people below 23 years of age. “The government will take strong and more stringent action against bars in the state that serve alcohol to people below the age of 23,” he said.
The minister said several road accidents in the state had been caused by people driving under the influence of alcohol and other intoxicating substances. “Many lives have been lost due to such irresponsible driving,” he said. He added that the existing Abkari Act already had provisions to act against bars that served alcohol to people below the legal age, and that the government was considering further measures to strengthen enforcement.
Three youngsters -- two women and a man, all aged around 21 -- were killed when a speeding Mini Cooper, allegedly driven by a 19-year-old youth under the influence of alcohol, rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi in the early hours of Sunday.
The car was allegedly driven by Kochi native Suhail, who was arrested soon after the accident and booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Police said his mother had gifted him the luxury car for his birthday and that they had found videos purportedly showing him driving at speeds of more than 200 kmph. His friends, Ninav, Ameer and Joel, who were also in the car at the time of the accident, were also arrested.
The minister’s statement in the Assembly linked the government’s response to the crash with a wider push to tighten action against bars serving alcohol to those below 23, while police action in the case has continued against the accused and others who were in the car.
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