Excise department’s 'hasty granting' of bar licenses wrong-foots UDF government
Kerala’s excise department faced criticism from the UDF government for swiftly issuing new bar licences, a move that displeased the coalition’s prohibitionist supporters, including several Christian and Muslim social organisations. The controversy emerged while the state cabinet was formulating its liquor policy for the current fiscal year, raising concerns over procedural transparency and political backlash.