Agartala: The Tripura government on Tuesday revoked the license of a bar-cum-restaurant in Agartala for multiple violations of the excise laws, 10 days after it was opened.
The license of the rooftop bar ‘Happiest Hour’, which is located at U.D. Bhawan near Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhawan in Agartala, has been cancelled after repeated violations of the Tripura Excise Act and license conditions.
According to the official order from the Collector of Excise, West Tripura District, the bar was found serving liquor beyond the permissible hours, and dancers performed in the bar without approval. The bar faced criticism since its opening on September 6.
Chaos broke out after a middle-aged man was denied permission to enter on that day for not bringing a partner, which is mandatory. The man expressed his anger on Facebook live, prompting the police to rush there to control the situation.
During an inquiry, representatives of the bar admitted to serving alcohol late into the night and organizing DJ and dance programmes without prior approval from the police or competent authority.
“CCTV footage confirmed that liquor was served well past the 11 PM deadline on September 6. A DJ-led dance event was also conducted without prior police approval,” West Tripura District Magistrate Vishal Kumar said.
The owner was served a show-cause notice for violating excise rules.
“After hearing his side of the story, we decided to cancel the bar license of the outlet with immediate effect. However, the owner can run the restaurant,” Kumar said.
The Excise Department termed the violations as “a grave breach of law and deliberate disregard of the regulatory framework.” Consequently, exercising powers under Section 40(1)(c) of the Tripura Excise Act, 1987, the license issued on April 11, 2025, was cancelled with immediate effect.
The bar has been directed to immediately halt all operations and submit its original license documents, stock of liquor, records, and CCTV footage to the Superintendent of Excise.
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Responding to the move, senior Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman claimed that the bar-cum-restaurant was allowed to open without clearances from the Fire Service and the health department. “We want action against those who had played a role in allowing such an outlet,” he said.
