KASARAGOD: The Excise Department has suspended the bar licence of Raj Residency in Kahangad for allegedly selling liquor on Gandhi Jayanti, a dry day when the sale of alcohol is not permitted.
The bar is owned by M Nagraj, brother of BJP district secretary, and Kanhangad councillor M Balraj. The Hosdurg Excise inspector has served the show-cause notice on Nagraj and sealed the bar on Monday. "Nagraj has 15 days to respond to the notice issued by the Excise commissioner," said Kasaragod Excise deputy commissioner Vinod B Nair.
On October 2, Hosdurg Excise inspector saw a man with a bottle of liquor and enquired where he bought the alcohol. The customer reportedly named Raj Residency, and the inspector raided the bar the same day. "The inspector found that liquor bottles were stacked up near the staircase and inside the lift," said Nair.
The inspector seized 34.5 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and 32.5 litres of beer and filed a case against Nagraj for violating the conditions of the licence, he said. "A bar licence is issued with a lot of conditions. The permit specifically mentions where the liquor bottles should be stored. If alcohol is found anywhere other than the assigned place, it is a violation of the license," he said.
Another condition is the prohibition of the sale of liquor on October 2, observed as a Dry Day because of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Deputy commissioner Nair said the bar would remain shut till the Excise commissioner takes a decision based on Nagraj's reply.
Kasaragod district has nine bars and four beer parlours, and Kanhangad town has three bars, including Raj Residency.