Bengaluru: In an interesting development, the state government has given go-ahead to the state excise department to issue a notice to a pub in which former CM Siddaramaiah’s daughter in-law Smitha Rakesh holds a partnership.
If sources in the state excise department are to be believed, Smitha Rakesh and actor Rohan Gowda are running a pub inside the Hotel Le Meridien in the city. The state excise department issued a notice to this pub named Sugar Factory. According to the sources, recently when the CCB team led by DCP Girish visited the pub at 4 AM it was open and was also serving liquor to the customers.
Based on the report submitted by the CCB, the excise department has issued a notice and sought a reply within 10 days.
“In Bengaluru, thousands of pubs violate the rule. Why then notice is served only to Sugar Factory?” questioned a senior Congress leader. “The JDS leadership is smart enough,” he said.
Both Rohan Gowda and Smitha Rakesh are not available for reaction, but excise department authorities confirmed that notice has been issued.