A famous restaurant in upmarket Connaught Place has been caught selling expensive branded liquor in contravention of the Excise Act. The restaurant management was serving the foreign liquor to its patrons without mandatory licence.
Acting on a tip-off, the Excise Department sent its inspectors as decoy customers and unmasked the illegal activity in the restaurant. An FIR was lodged at Connaught Place police station against the restaurant management on the complaint of the Excise Department. The illegal bar was being run with the active connivance of local police. Despite registering an FIR under Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act, police have yet to initiate action against the restaurant.
According to a statement of Inspector Satya Prakash of the Excise Department, acting a tip-off about expensive and branded liquor being sold and served at Quote Restaurant at 44, Regal Building in Connaught Place, two inspectors of the State Excise Department were sent to the restaurant as decoy customers and ordered drinks. They were duly obliged by the service boys. This followed the entry of Assistant Commissioner Rajesh Kumar and the two inspectors Varun Anand and Shashi Kant. The officials then carried out an inspection of the restaurant and were stunned to locate a large quantity of imported liquor.
As per the records of the Delhi Excise department, the owners of the restaurant do not have requisite licence to run a bar. Vinod Chokotia, the manager of the restaurant had procured a temporary licence for serving liquor at an event but the same was not valid for a restaurant.
The temporary licence (commonly known as l-1 licence), which is for serving liquor of a prescribed quantity to guests in parties, is not valid for commercial purposes. The restaurant owners were selling liquor for commercial purposes.