Excise dept asks hotels, clubs, restaurants to submit police verification certificates by Sep 15

There are over 970 HCR licensees in the city who can serve liquor at the hotels, clubs and restaurants operated by them.

The Delhi government has made it mandatory for proprietors and firm partners running hotels, clubs and restaurants in the city to submit their police verification certificates by September 15, officials said on August 15.

The step was taken by the excise department to ensure that a person holding the excise licence was of good moral character and did not have any criminal record, officials said. A recent order of the excise department stated that proprietors or owners of hotels, clubs and restaurants (HCR) as well as partners and directors in firms running such establishments will have to submit their police verifications.

The direction came in the wake of the excise department being not informed about HCR licensees changing owners, directors or partners of the firms running hotels, clubs and bars. "It was a precautionary step to ensure that the retail liquor trade in Delhi was not affected by any unwanted persons in the wake of the alleged irregularities related to the excise policy 2021-22 which was withdrawn by the Delhi government," said a senior officer.

A number of private firms that were issued licences for opening vends in Delhi, under the excise policy 2021-22, were accused of wrongdoing by the probe agencies CBI and ED. There are over 970 HCR licensees in the city who can serve liquor at the hotels, clubs and restaurants operated by them.