Drinking Ages in India

(or)
Dry Day and the Marvellous Maturity
In Which One Eventually Comes of Age

Here’s a roundup of legal ages across states and union territories in India. The rules for purchase and/or consumption of alcohol vary from state to state. In some states, the age specified is only for buying liquor, but you’re free to drink if you’re under that age.

Note: The age mentioned with dry states refers to the minimum age in case of exemptions.

  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands - 18
  • Andhra Pradesh - 21
  • Arunachal Pradesh - 21
  • Assam - 21
  • Bihar - X
    • The only dry state with no exceptions
  • Chandigarh - 25
  • Chhattisgarh - 21
  • Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu - 21
  • Delhi - 25
  • Goa - 18
  • Gujarat - 21
    • Only for non-residents and GIFT City employees
  • Haryana - 21
  • Himachal Pradesh - 18
  • Jammu & Kashmir - 21
  • Jharkhand - 21
  • Karnataka - 21
    • The courts decided it wasn’t 18
  • Kerala - 23
    • Increased from 21 in 2017
  • Ladakh - 21
  • Lakshadweep - 21
    • Available only for tourists and government employees
  • Madhya Pradesh - 21
  • Maharashtra - 21
    • Only beer and wine and this age - hard liquor at 25
  • Manipur - 18
    • Sale and consumption is allowed only in the hill districts
  • Meghalaya - 21
  • Mizoram - 21
    • Only grape wine is legally sold here
  • Nagaland - 21
    • Alcohol can be served only at functions
  • Odisha - 21
  • Puducherry - 18
  • Punjab - 25
  • Rajasthan - 18
  • Sikkim - 18
  • Tamil Nadu - 21
  • Telangana - 21
  • Tripura - 21
  • Uttar Pradesh - 21
  • Uttarakhand - 18
  • West Bengal - 21

This post will be updated as things change.



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