
Distilleries liable to pay full pay to excise officers deputed to their manufacturing units: Kerala HC
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has held that private distilleries are liable to pay full pay and additional allowances of excise officers deputed to supervise manufacturing of liquor at their distilleries as cost of establishment to the State government.
The Bench led by Justice Anil K. Narendran made the observation recently while allowing the appeals filed by the State government against the ruling of a single judge's verdict that only the additional allowance and not full pay of the officers needs to be paid to the government. The single judge's order came on writ petitions filed by the private distilleries which sell their products to the the Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing and Marketing) Corporation challenging the collection of full pay.
Senior government pleader Vinitha B. submitted that under the provisions of the Abkari Act, the Kerala Distillery and Warehouse Rules 1968, Foreign Liquor (Storage in bond) Rules 1961 and Kerala Rectified Spirit Rules 1972, the State government is authorised to depute excise officials for supervising activities and the cost for deputing such officers has to be borne by the distilleries. She also pointed out that as per the licence conditions, the distilleries are bound to pay the actual cost payable to the officer deputed. Therefore, the distilleries could not take the stand that only the charge allowance would be paid under section 53(b) of part I of Kerala Service Rules. Besides, the charge allowance was actually the one payable under Section 53(b) between the State government and its employees.
The court observed that payment of establishment cost is one of the license conditions for granting the privilege of manufacturing intoxicating liquor. The court noted that there are no permanent cadre posts created for the supervisory functions of distilleries. The officers are deployed by the government. Therefore, private distilleries cannot contend that they are liable to pay only the charge allowance for the additional duty of an officer deputed to supervise the distilleries.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Kerala HC grants emergency leave to convict for school admission of his child
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted one week emergency leave to a life-term convict at the Central Prison and Correctional Home, Thavanur, Malappuram from June 12 to June 18 for making arrangements for his child's admission to a higher secondary school. Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan while passing the order observed that father's presence played a vital role in a child's higher education journey by offering emotional support, guidance, and mentorship. The order came on a petition filed by the wife of the convict. The court noted that the child of the convict obtained six A+ and two A grades in the SSLC examination. When such a bright student sought the help of his father to get admission to a Plus Two course, the court could not keep its eyes shut to such a request from a convict. The court added that 'let the bright child of the convict spend a few days with his father.'


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Distribution of 56 kiosks marks first phase of roadside vendors' rehabilitation
The Kochi Corporation has initiated the rehabilitation of roadside vendors, starting with the distribution of kiosks to 56 vendors in Fort Kochi as part of the first phase on Tuesday (June 10). The move was in keeping with the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. Cochin Smart Mission Limited designed and built the kiosks. In the next phase, roadside vendors will be moved into dedicated vending zones. No vendor will be allowed space beyond 25 sq ft. Vending hindering the movement of pedestrians will not be allowed, nor will they be permitted to expand the vending space by drawing overhead sheets, said Mayor M. Anilkumar. An effective rehabilitation plan will be drawn up. Even smaller kiosks are being prepared at select locations. Vendors will be responsible for the treatment of waste that their units generate. Encroachment on roads will not be allowed. The Corporation Council has taken all necessary measures for a more beautiful Kochi. The Act, among other things, has provisions for issuing identity cards to vendors, their registration, and the identification of vending zones. The town vending committee played a critical role in the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The Corporation has identified 2,351 vendors through a survey conducted with the help of various agencies. So far, 69 vending zones have been recognised. Nine representatives have been elected from among the recognised roadside vendors. Mr. Anilkumar hailed the cooperation extended by various trade unions to the endeavour. According to the Act, municipal corporations are required to draw up separate vending by-laws. Councillors P.S. Viju, Priya Prashanth, Antony Kureethara, and V.K. Minimol were entrusted with preparing the by-law. The draft by-law was approved by the vending committee and the Corporation Council and submitted to the State government, which approved it on October 9, 2023. The government approved the vending plan on June 27, 2024. Mr. Anilkumar said the Corporation was the first civic body in the State to prepare a vending by-law and vending plan and identify separate vending zones. 'The by-law prepared by us now serves as a guide for other corporations,' he said in his inaugural address after distributing the vending kiosks. Deputy Mayor K.A. Ansiya presided over.


Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Morning news wrap: Wife allegedly murdered husband with lover's help in Meghalaya; woman burned by family in honor killing over live-in partner & more
Meghalaya honeymoon case,left, and Saraswati Maliyan killed in honor killing In key developments, a Meghalaya honeymoon turned tragic as Sonam Raghuvanshi was accused of plotting her husband's murder with her lover and others. In Muzaffarnagar, a woman was killed by her father and brother over a live-in relationship. Suspended IPS officer Vikash Kumar challenged his suspension over the Bengaluru stampede. Russia's drone strikes on Kyiv and Odesa killed one and injured four. In the US, Trump's plan to deploy Marines to LA drew criticism from California's governor. Father, brother arrested for killing woman over live-in relationship; strangled and set on fire in hometown Days after a charred body was found in a Muzaffarnagar forest, police arrested Rajveer Singh and Sumit Singh , father and brother of 23-year-old Saraswati Maliyan, who confessed to killing her over her relationship with Amit, a man from their village. Saraswati, who worked for an e-commerce firm in Gurgaon, had left a forced marriage and was in a live-in relationship with Amit, which her family opposed. Police say she was strangled and her body set on fire during a visit home. Read full story IPS officer Vikash moves tribunal over suspension in Bengaluru stampede case, accused of crowd control failure Suspended IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash on Monday approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), challenging the government's decision to suspend him for alleged dereliction of duty during the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Undo He is one of five officers suspended in connection with the incident. The suspension, issued under Rule 3(1)(a) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, accuses Vikash and the others of failing to implement adequate crowd-control and safety measures despite having prior knowledge of the public celebrations. Read full story One killed, four injured as Russia strikes Kyiv and Odesa in fresh drone attack Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine early Tuesday, targeting Kyiv and striking a maternity facility in the southern port city of Odesa, regional authorities reported. A 59-year-old man was killed and four others injured, according to Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper. The overnight assault followed Monday's massive drone barrage, the largest so far, as Moscow intensifies its strikes, claiming they are in retaliation for recent Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory. Read full story Trump to deploy 700 marines to back National Guard in riot-hit LA, governer calls it 'sovereignty breach' The Trump administration is planning to deploy around 700 Marines to support National Guard troops already on the ground as protests intensified in California late Monday. California governor Gavin Newsom condemned the move, calling the federal mobilisation a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' The protests began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out dozens of arrests, claiming to target gang and cartel members in LA. Read full story