PANJIM: Goa Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad will on Monday continue the hearing into the illegally obtained liquor licence by ‘Silly Souls Café and Bar’ allegedly being run by the family of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani at Bhouta Vaddo in Assagao Village.
At the last hearing the Excise Commissioner framed two issues for determination, the first issue being as to whether the excise licence was obtained by Anthony Dgama 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 licence holder was directed to file his response to the two issues.
Social activist Adv Aires 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 Anthony Dgama 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 being in place.
