PANJIM: Goa Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad on Monday adjourned the hearing on the complaint filed against ‘Silly Souls Café & Bar’ for illegally obtaining a liquor licence. The matter is now posted for September 12.
The ‘Silly Souls Café & Bar’ is allegedly being run by the family of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani at Bhouta Vaddo in Assagao Village.
As directed by the Excise Commissioner at the last hearing, the family of licence holder late Anthony D’Gama submitted their reply to the two issues framed for determination – the first issue being as to whether the Excise licence was obtained by Anthony D’Gama submitting false, inadequate documents and by misrepresenting facts while the second issue being whether there were procedural irregularities on the part of the Excise officials.
The hearing witnessed a war of words between the complainant Adv Aires Rodrigues and Adv Benny Nazareth representing the family of late Anthony D’Gama, who claimed that they had now inherited the Excise licence on the death of D’Gama. Rodrigues vehemently argued that an excise licence cannot be automatically inherited by the heirs of a deceased licence holder.
The Excise Commissioner has asked Rodrigues to file his response to the submission made by the respondent.
Rodrigues had filed the complaint that drew the attention of the Excise Commissioner that on June 29, the local Excise office at Mapusa in clear contravention of law renewed the excise licence in the name of D’Gama despite him having passed away in May, last year as per the death certificate issued by the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai.
Rodrigues also pointed out that though the Excise rules allow a bar licence to be issued only to an existing restaurant, the department issued the excise licence without the required restaurant licence in place.
