The excise department has suspended the liquor licences of three establishments in Ernakulam after cases were registered for allegedly serving alcohol to a 19-year-old who was involved in a road accident that killed three people on Nedumbassery Airport Road on October 11.
The establishments are Courtyard by Marriott in Nedumbassery, Daya by Renai at Polakulath Tourist Home in Vyttila and Monsoon Empress in Palarivattom. The suspension orders were issued by excise commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao and took effect immediately.
According to the orders, the police investigation into the crash involving Suhail Sajeev found that liquor had allegedly been served to him at all three establishments. The investigation recorded that Sajeev was driving under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred, the report said.
Section 15B of the Abkari Act prohibits the sale or delivery of liquor to people below 23 years of age in Kerala. Following the investigation, the Aluva and Ernakulam excise range offices registered cases under Section 15B and Section 56(b), read with Section 63, of the Act.
The cases name the licensee and manager of each establishment. At Courtyard by Marriott, licensee Rahul Vijayaraj and manager Manas Lal have been named as accused. The case involving Daya by Renai names manager Adil Divakar and licensee P N Krishnadas, while the Monsoon Empress case names manager Arun and licensee Isaac Francis.
The action places responsibility on both the establishments’ licence holders and their managers while the criminal cases proceed. The excise department’s orders state that Section 26(b) of the Abkari Act empowers the excise commissioner to suspend or cancel a licence when its conditions are violated.
The three establishments have been given 15 days to show cause why their licences should not be cancelled. The orders also state that violations of the Foreign Liquor Rules can attract a fine of Rs 1 lakh, cancellation of the licence, or both.
The suspension proceedings are separate from the criminal case arising from the crash. On Wednesday, four accused in the accident case were remanded in police custody for one day by the Angamaly judicial first class magistrate court. The court granted custody until 5pm on Thursday and is scheduled to consider the accused’s bail applications on Friday after the custody period ends.
The deputy excise commissioner in Ernakulam has been directed to take further action in the licensing matter. The establishments’ responses during the 15-day show-cause period will determine the next stage of the proceedings, including whether the department moves towards cancellation of their licences.
