In May 2019, Mizoram's last bar poured its last drink.
It was called Tales and Spirits, at the Hotel Ritz in Aizawl, and it shut the night before the state went dry again. Again, because Mizoram had been dry before. And wet in between. Three positions in twenty-two years.
That's India and prohibition in one story. It keeps coming, going and coming back.
Which states in India are dry?
As of September 2026, the fully dry states are Gujarat (since 1960), Bihar (since 2016), Nagaland (since 1989) and Mizoram (since 2019, again). Manipur has partly relaxed its ban. Lakshadweep, dry for 47 years, ended prohibition in June 2026.
Why does India have dry states at all?
Because the Constitution asks for it. Article 47, one of the Directive Principles, says the state "shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health."
Directive Principles aren't enforceable in court. They're goals. Most states read this one, nodded, and set up an excise department. A few took it literally. How that line got into the Constitution is its own story.
How does Gujarat stay dry?
With permits and exceptions, mostly.
Gujarat has been dry since it was formed in 1960. But it runs a permit system, and more than 43,000 people held active liquor permits as of the latest reports, about 12,500 of them in Surat. New permits have been falling across Gujarat's six biggest cities: 7,440 issued in 2023, 3,499 in 2024.
The biggest crack is GIFT City, the financial hub near Gandhinagar. In December 2023, Gujarat allowed "wine and dine" there for employees and their guests. In December 2025, it dropped the permit requirement altogether: visitors from outside Gujarat and abroad now just show a photo ID, and can drink on lawns, poolsides and terraces.
So Gujarat is dry, except in the bit of Gujarat built to feel like Singapore.
What happened in Bihar?
Bihar went dry on 1 April 2016, totally dry four days later, on Nitish Kumar's promise to women voters. Ten years on, here's what the state itself reported to its Legislative Council in February 2026, counting up to the end of 2025:
- about 10 lakh FIRs
- about 16 lakh arrests
- 4.5 crore litres of liquor seized
- 1.6 lakh vehicles seized
And the money: state excise revenue reportedly fell from ₹3,142 crore in 2015-16 to ₹30 crore the year after.
There have been hooch tragedies too. After deaths from spurious liquor in Saran in December 2022, the chief minister said, "Jo piyega woh marega", whoever drinks will die, and refused compensation. By February 2026, even some of the government's own allies were asking for a review. The state said in April 2026 that prohibition stays.
What's going on in Nagaland and Mizoram?
Nagaland has been dry since the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1989. In March 2026, civil society groups asked the chief minister to repeal it. Baptist churches oppose repeal. It's still dry.
Mizoram is the flip-flop champion. Total prohibition from 1997. Lifted in January 2015. Brought back in May 2019. Hence Tales and Spirits.
Why did Lakshadweep give up prohibition?
Tourists. Lakshadweep's prohibition regulation from 1979 was repealed by gazette notification on 5 June 2026, replaced by a licensing system with a minimum age of 21. The official reasoning pointed to tourism: visitors went from 3,875 in 2020 to 68,328 in 2024. The Maldives is right there, after all.
Which states tried prohibition and gave up?
Quite a few:
- Andhra Pradesh banned alcohol in January 1995, after a women-led movement against arrack that started in Nellore. It lifted the ban in April 1997, calling it unworkable because of bootlegging.
- Haryana went dry in July 1996 and announced the reversal in March 1998. In under two years it had registered about 88,000 cases and reportedly lost ₹1,200 crore.
- Kerala shut 730 bars below five-star level in 2014, with the chief minister promising prohibition within ten years. A later government reversed it.
So what's a party like in a dry state?
Often, exactly like a party anywhere else. Food, music, too many people in one kitchen, someone's cousin with a speaker. The drink isn't the party. It never really was.
It's just that in some states, the law made that point for everyone.
Next in Rules Nobody Chose: why dry days exist, and the tax they accidentally invented.
We're making drinks for nights like that, anywhere. Get your founder code and you'll hear first when Batch 001 is ready.
Sources
- Onmanorama, on Mizoram's return to prohibition (May 2019).
- Constitution of India, Article 47.
- Gujarat Samachar, on Gujarat's liquor permits; Business Today, on GIFT City in 2023; The Week, on GIFT City in 2025.
- ETV Bharat, on Bihar's official figures (February 2026); Outlook, on excise revenue; Onmanorama, on the Saran deaths (December 2022); ETV Bharat, on prohibition staying (April 2026).
- ThePrint, on Nagaland (March 2026).
- Business Today, on Lakshadweep (June 2026).
- The South First, on Andhra Pradesh; Business Standard, on Haryana (March 1998); Gulf News, on Kerala.
General information, checked in September 2026. Not legal advice.
