Delhi: Two months ago, the Delhi government introduced stricter regulations for serving alcohol, instructing hotels, clubs, and restaurants to verify customers’ ages using physical government issued identity proofs. This move came after the excise department uncovered numerous violations of the legal drinking age during inspections.
In Delhi, the minimum legal drinking age is 25 years. However, inspections revealed cases of underage drinking, with some individuals falsely claiming to meet the age requirement. Officials also received complaints against establishments serving alcohol to minors.
As per the Delhi Excise Act, 2009, serving alcohol to anyone under 25 years is prohibited. Violators, including license holders and their staff, face legal consequences. To curb such breaches, the excise department issued a directive mandating age verification via physical IDs, excluding digital IDs on mobile devices unless accessed through the Digilocker portal.
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The legal drinking age in Delhi has long been a contentious issue, especially since neighbouring NCR cities like Noida and Gurugram have a lower drinking age. A proposal to reduce Delhi’s drinking age to 21 under the scrapped 2021-22 excise policy failed amid allegations of corruption.
The law also prohibits any person below the age of 25 years from being employed at any bar or pub. The offence is punishable with a fine of up to Rs. 50,000 or imprisonment of three months, to be levied on the outlet.
Still, nearly 55% of those working as service attendants in bars and restaurants are young boys and girls below the age of 25, according to a survey by the NGO Campaign Against Drunken Driving (CADD).
Patriot visited go-to places for the youth of the city to check if the guidelines are being followed by restaurants and bar owners. Hudson Lane and Connaught Place are among the two most popular places for Delhiites to visit for parties. Due to the location of Hudson Lane, which is near Delhi University’s South Campus, the area is a bustling hub for students and youngsters.
In CP, we visited a cafe, which is famous for its modern vibe. We asked the waiter if they were checking or following the Delhi Government’s regulations for serving alcohol. After a thoughtful pause, he replied, “Yes, we are adhering to the regulations.” He added, “Our manager asked us not to give the liquor menu to youngsters, but we are not checking ID cards as such.”
The next stop was another popular bar at Connaught Place. We asked the receptionist, “I am 23-years-old, but as per the Delhi Government’s order, I can’t order alcohol, but can I go up,”? She confidently said, “Yes, Ma’am, you can order whatever you want. This is a bar, and everyone comes here for drinks and parties. Youngsters drink more than adults. We host a lot of young adults daily.”
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A group of three girls was stepping out of the bar, and on asking if they ordered alcohol, one of them, aged 19 years, said, “We come here once a month, most probably in the last days of the month, to detox the whole month’s pressure, meet and chill, and obviously, without alcohol, it’s not as interesting.” Another girl said, “I was never asked my age or faced any difficulty in ordering drinks in Delhi NCR ever, as I party on most weekends with my friends.”
After Connaught Place, we visited Hudson Lane to observe the situation. We started from a famous restaurant, which is quite popular among the city’s youngsters and a popular hangout spot for Delhi University students.
On asking if they could serve alcohol to a person below the age of 25 years and whether they were following the state government guidelines, Sneha (name changed) not only gave a thumbs up to order whatever I wanted, but she was also unaware of the restrictions and was very confused when asked about the same. She asked us to contact the manager for further queries.
We visited a couple of more places here. It seemed that the majority of the crowd were either teenagers or young adults below 25 at these places.
Many of them were drinking, and the waiter who came to take the order didn’t even ask for ID proof. When asked about the best cocktails, he said, “Ma’am, Pina Colada and Cosmopolitan are famous among youngsters; you should try them.” When asked about the guidelines, he took a pause and said, “Yes, of course, our manager is working on the policy.”
Yet another famous restaurant, a popular spot for live performances, a group of Delhi University students from B.A. (Hons.) History was gathered near the entrance, vaping and smoking. Lavanya (name changed), the youngest in the group, shared their routine: “We usually visit different places in Hudson Lane and nearby areas to drink.” She added, “We’re a group of eight or nine, including some seniors.”
According to her, they have “never been denied alcohol,” which she attributed to seniors usually placing the orders. Reflecting on the lack of enforcement, she said, “I don’t think anyone here is following these guidelines.” Lavanya concluded, “We just had some drinks, and no one asked about our age.”
Even after clear guidelines from the Delhi Government, bars and restaurants in Delhi are evidently not adhering to the regulations, and many of them are not even aware of them.
