that chocolatiers who use liquor need a permit is known but not many know that you need one to even buy them as a customer there seems to be no end to mumbaikars woes with the law these days after shaming errant bars and restaurants and individuals who visit them or host parties in the privacy of their homes into submission the citys selfappointed moral guardians have now turned their attention on regular folk a littleknown law under section 65 e of the bombay prohibition act 1949 yes of 1949 says that one cannot sell or possess an intoxicant without permission and so an unsuspecting 53yearold preeti chandrayani from worli was detained overnight by state excise department officials on thursday evening after they barged into her home on a tipoff and conducted a raid in which 20 bottles of alcohol were seized because she did not have a permit apart from several boxes of chocolates which officials insisted were for sale her crime she makes liqueurbased chocolates at home as a hobby she had no choice but to claim innocence over lack of knowledge of the law updated last year to state that all chocolatiers and shopkeepers who makesell alcoholbased chocolates must now possess a liquor license you as a regular lawabiding citizen will also meet the long arm of the law if you do not possess a licence to buy such chocolates this law is not just archaic it is also bordering on bizarre there seems to be no respite for mumbaikars from more such more such laws being enforced by the police preeti has now been granted provisional bail on a surety of rs 15000 she pours her heart out to toi half of mumbai could be detained a distraught preeti says shes received over a hundred calls and messages from friends and wellwishers since the unfortunate turn of events everyone is shocked she starts it was kutchi new year on thursday so i made chocolates for a few friends little did i know that it would land me in such a position the officials not only confiscated my alcohol and chocolates but also my bar mix bar guide and even a book that said chocolate on the cover i was told by the officials that even if i did have a liquor permit the law allows a single person to keep only two bottles of alcohol at home at any given time so what does that mean that people with bars at home which may have more than two alcohol bottles could be penalised too at this rate half of mumbai could be arrested she states she has now decided to give up on her hobby as she doesnt want any more trouble with the law as bizarre as it may be i want to be a lawabiding citizen but i am so disappointed i will not make chocolates at home at all and will not even have alcohol in my home