Excise Commissioner Rao shifted after minister objects to airport lounge bar licence

Keralam Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao was transferred from his post just days after Excise Minister M. Liju publicly opposed a bar licence granted to a lounge at Kochi airport. The Additional Excise Commissioner has taken over the charge. Rao had been appointed to the commissioner post in June 2026. Minister Liju said the department issued two bar licences without the government’s knowledge and that a third application had been sent to the government for approval. He added that a decision on the third licence could only be made after the new Excise policy is adopted by the end of November, yet proceedings on a fresh application were already started. Liju argued the commissioner should have consulted the government before taking any decision and hinted that the government will investigate whether some officials rushed bar licences by exploiting loopholes. He recalled that the former Left Democratic Front government in 2017 issued an order allowing Deputy Commissioners to upgrade beer and wine parlours to bar licences if the establishments achieved star classification. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan also said on Wednesday that no bar licence will be issued without the government’s knowledge. ## Context The episode highlights ongoing tension between the Excise department and the state government over control of bar licences, especially as a new Excise policy is expected to tighten the approval process later this year.