Thiruvananthapuram: Onam, Christmas and bar licence renewal — three occasions allegedly mark an excise “collection calendar”, when bars are expected to pay specified amounts to specified officials. What emerged from Operation Bijapur, the covert verification launched by excise commissioner, was a detailed account of how such collections allegedly worked in Kottayam, raising the question of whether similar mechanisms existed elsewhere in Kerala.This is clear from the inquiry report of excise commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao (accessed by TOI) in the Kottayam bribery case, in which seven excise officers were suspended. Confidential inputs received during the probe indicated that “the gravity of the issue varied across districts depending on the potential and scale of operations”.The Kottayam findings provide a detailed picture of the alleged mechanism. A partner of one of the bars at Thrikkodithanam told the inquiry team that establishments were given a “list of persons and amounts to be paid”, with collections allegedly made during licence renewal, Onam and Christmas. The establishments allegedly made the payments because they feared problems in matters involving excise permissions and regulatory dealings.A senior excise officer, speaking about the broader issue, said the alleged nexus between officers, bar owners and politicians was complex and that the system often evolved gradually.“The issue is very complex and it is not limited to Kottayam. There is a strong nexus between excise officers, bar owners and politicians. There are officials who initially take a strong stand and try to enforce the law. But when they face the combined pressure of the political and bar-owner nexus, some eventually realise that it is more profitable and convenient to join the system rather than fight it. As long as they remain within the accepted limits, nobody complains and the arrangement remains hidden. The problem comes when these officials start demanding more. That is when the nexus breaks down and such cases come to light.”The alleged mechanism involved different amounts for different levels of the excise establishment. The bar manager of one of the bar hotels in Kottayam admitted during the inquiry that Rs 26,000 was collected in four covers — Rs 10,000, Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 1,000 — and handed over to civil excise officer Visakh A S, in the presence of preventive officer Lalu Thankachan.Visakh subsequently told the inquiry that one cover meant for the circle staff was handed over by him to preventive officer Santhosh T while the other three covers meant for the range establishment were taken by Thankachan. The alleged collection from one bar was thus divided according to the level of the excise establishment.Cash was allegedly only one part of the arrangement. A bar hotel manager said Thankachan and preventive officer Shiju K were given liquor bottles, beer and food. The Kottayam case also allegedly shows how money could be routed through intermediaries rather than being handed directly to senior officers. Deputy excise commissioner S Asoka Kumar, the senior-most officer among those suspended, was allegedly linked to an intermediary, who was associated with another bar. The bar manager said in the inquiry that Asoka Kumar directed him to hand over the money to the intermediary. The intermediary subsequently gave details of several payments allegedly handled through him — Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 15,000 from different bar hotels, totalling Rs 55,000.The material gathered during Operation Bijapur led to the preliminary conclusion that there was an “organised and recurring unauthorised collection practice”, rather than an isolated instance of bribery. Though the suspensions are based on prima facie findings and do not constitute final findings of guilt, formal disciplinary proceedings will determine the charges.
