Bihar Principal Secretary, who is seen as the author of Prohibition law, has gone on "long leave"
In a major setback for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar Principal Secretary KK Pathak, who is seen as the author of Prohibition law in the state, has gone on "long leave" and asked the state government to find a replacement for him.
Credited for drafting and executing the excise law, Mr Pathak was reportedly upset about the arrest of an excise department official who acted against a block-level Janata Dal (United) leader Chandradeo Kumar Sen from Nalanda, the chief minister's home district.
Though the officer was granted bail but now the officials of the excise department have said that they no longer want to take action against those defying liquor bans in the state.
Mr. Pathak, a 1990 batch IAS officer, is known as a bureaucrat who was expressly brought to Bihar last year to implement the prohibition law.
In Bihar, drinking is a crime for which one's family members can also be jailed.
Nitish Kumar's cabinet had cleared the bill that says that every adult in a household where liquor is found can go to jail for 10 years, without prospect of bail.
In Bihar, Prohibition is seen as one of Mr Kumar's pet projects. It was one of his biggest election promises last year.