UDF to revise liquor policy and change licensing authority
Excise Minister M. Liju said the government will transfer bar licensing powers from deputy excise commissioners to the political executive.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is preparing to announce a new liquor policy for the 2026-27 fiscal year on November 30, according to The Hindu.
Excise Minister M. Liju stated that the government intends to remove the authority previously held by deputy excise commissioners to issue bar licenses. Under the new policy, this power will be held by the political executive.
Mr. Liju said the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had reinstated 488 bar licences that were cancelled by the Oommen Chandy administration. He claimed the LDF government achieved this by weakening the vetting process and allowing the Excise department bureaucracy to bypass policy matters.
Senior Excise officials said the UDF may also remove the power of deputy excise commissioners to reclassify wine and beer parlours as bars based on four-star classifications. They added that the government might also cancel the provision allowing closed bars to renew licences within 24 hours of application.
Officials noted that the government might implement a stricter vetting process and prevent the clustering of bars within a small radius. One official said that issuing up to 15 bar licences within 1 or 2 km would conflict with the UDF's mandate to reduce hard spirit consumption.
The government will decide on whether to issue more licences, including to 29 new applicants, after the policy is promulgated on November 30.