New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- The Supreme Court on Friday observed that Gujarat's decades-long prohibition regime has failed to prevent repeated mass hooch tragedies involving methanol-laced illicit liquor, with more than 600 deaths reported in at least 10 major incidents.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran made the observation while striking down Rules 18A and 18B of the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, 1972, which regulated the purchase and possession of methanol and required colourant and bitterant to be added to it before sale to non-drug manufacturers.

The apex court in its judgement said Gujarat's experience showed that a complete ban on alcohol could drive the illicit liquor trade underground, increasing the risk of unregul...