SMRITI IRANI’S FAMILY RESTAURANT IN GOA SLAPPED WITH SHOW CAUSE NOTICE BY GOA EXCISE

Goa Excise Commissioner Narayan M. Gad has today issued a Show Cause notice to the upmarket Silly Souls Café and Bar allegedly run by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani’s family at Bhouta Vaddo in Assagao Village over the illegally obtained Liquor licences.The Excise Commissioner has fixed a hearing on 29th July 2022 at 11 am.RTI activist had yesterday filed a written complaint before the Excise Commissioner demanding a thorough inquiry into this mega fraud which was orchestrated by Smriti Irani’s family in conjunction with Excise officials and the local Assagao Panchayat.The Complaint by Adv. Aires Rodrigues was after obtaining documents under the RTI Act from the Excise department on the issue.The documents shockingly revealed that though the Excise rules in Goa allow a Bar licence to be issued only to an existing restaurant, the Excise department on 18th February 2021 in rank violation of law issued a licence for retail sale of Foreign liquor for consumption on the premises along with another licence for retail sale of Indian Made Foreign liquor and Country liquor to the outlet.The Excise department issued the licences in the name of one Mr. Anthony Dgama, who as per the Aadhaar card submitted by him shows that he was a resident of Mumbai and that the Aadhaar was issued on 30th December 2020.The Excise licences were issued for this sprawling 1200 sq. mts plush premises being run by the Smriti Irani’s family allegedly in rank violation of law. The RTI documents also reveal that last month on 29th June the local Excise office at Mapusa in clear contravention of law renewed those licences in the name of Anthony Dgama despite him having passed away last year on 17th May 2021 as per the death certificate issued by the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai which has also been obtained .