India, June 8 -- For almost half a century, Lakshadweep, the southernmost part of India, remained one of the few places in India where alcohol was banned. Now that state of affairs has ended. The Union government has dropped the Lakshadweep Prohibition Regulation, 1979, and replaced it with the Lakshadweep Excise Regulation, 2026. New regulation introduces a licensing regime for the manufacture, sale, purchase, transport and consumption of alcohol. The decision has ignited debate across the archipelago, where the share of the Muslim community is well above 97 per cent.

Why Lakshadweep has ended a 47-year-long ban on alcohol

Centre has replaced the prohibition law with Lakshadweep Excise Regulation, 2026. The new regulation introduces a ...