Keralam shifts Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao and hands charge to the Additional Excise Commissioner

6 November 2026

Keralam has shifted Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao from the post, and the Additional Excise Commissioner has been given charge in his place.
The change came a few days after Excise Minister M. Liju publicly indicated his disapproval of the grant of a bar licence to a lounge at the Kochi airport.
The government had objected to a similar application earlier, and the minister said the Excise Commissioner should have consulted the government before taking the decision.
Mr. Rao was appointed Excise Commissioner in June 2026, so his tenure in the post lasted about five months.
The Excise Commissioner is the head of the Excise department, which enforces the state liquor and narcotic drugs rules and issues licences.
The post is the top executive office in the department under the Excise Minister.