Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao Transferred Amid Licence Dispute
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu
Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao was transferred by the Kerala government to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Department on November 6, 2026, as Excise Minister M Liju expressed dissatisfaction over bar and horti-wine licence issuances, officials confirmed. Rao had served as Excise Commissioner and Special Secretary in the Electronics and Information Technology Department before his transfer, which also assigned him additional charge of the Backward Classes Development Department, with the Additional Excise Commissioner taking over his former role, the order stated. Minister Liju had suspended two Excise Deputy Commissioners and cancelled a horti wine licence for a Chalakudy bakery chain following public criticism, and he emphasized that transfers of Excise officials are routine administrative decisions, noting 35 civil servants had recently been reassigned, the report added.
Why it matters
The transfer affects Excise Department administration and licence enforcement, potentially altering policy implementation under the new UDF government's liquor framework expected by month-end, impacting business operations and regulatory oversight in Kerala's alcohol sector,
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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