Villagers have rallied in support of a restaurant, following Home Office calls to revoke its licence.
On Monday (April 20), a Wealden District Council licensing panel is due to consider an application seeking the revocation of a premises licence linked to Roochi, an Indian restaurant in Hartfield Road, Forest Row.
This premises licence, which allows for the sale of alcohol and late night refreshments, is held by Saiful Hussain, who is also the designated premises supervisor (DPS), council papers note.
The application has been submitted by Home Office Immigration Enforcement, after a company linked to the business — Vojan UK Limited — was issued a £40,000 fine “for employing one individual with no right to work” in the UK.
The application notes how the company had objected to this penalty, which was initially issued in July 2025, but not lodged a formal appeal after review. Its appeal rights have since been exhausted and the penalty remains “outstanding in full”, the Home Office says.
In the application a Home Office spokesman said: “Merely remedying the existing situation (for instance by the imposition of additional conditions or a suspension) is insufficient to act as a deterrent to the licence holder and other premises’ licence holders from employing illegal workers and facilitating disqualified immigrants to work illegally.
“Revocation is a proportionate and necessary response to: uphold the integrity of the licensing regime; deter future breaches; promote the licensing objectives; [and] protect the public interest.”
The application is supported by Sussex Police, who argue the restaurant had “demonstrably failed to uphold the responsibilities expected of a licensed venue”.
But the revocation calls have also seen opposition raised by Forest Row residents and officials. The council has received 17 letters supporting the restaurant and opposing revocation of its licence.
The names of these individuals have each been redacted in council papers, but several have identified themselves as local councillors or being linked to neighbouring businesses.
One of the respondents identifies themselves as “the county councillor covering Forest Row for five years”.
This is a position currently held by Georgia Taylor (Green), who confirmed that she had submitted the letter when approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In it, she said: “I believe that this has been a genuine misunderstanding, and does not constitute a failure to uphold the crime and disorder licensing objective.
“It would be a terrible shame for Forest Row to lose a well-loved restaurant for no reason. And also, a terrible outcome for a hard working and diligent local business person, Mr Hussain.
“I have been the county councillor covering Forest Row for five years and I have not heard of any irregularities or illegal employment practices in the village during that time. I know that many of our local businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, have been severely strained in the post-Covid era, and we have had some closures.
“We do not wish the village to become hollowed out and to start seeing empty premises. This is not good for morale and not good for the vibrant economy we have in Forest Row.
“I hope that you are able to give Roochi a second chance to tighten up their practices so that this kind of misunderstanding does not happen again.”
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Similar arguments have been made by other respondents. Some praised the business’s work to uphold other parts of the licensing objectives, such as prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.
Supporters include those who identified themselves as “the Forest Row district councillor” and, separately, “East Grinstead Town Mayor 2025/26 and Mid Sussex District Councillor”. The former is a position held by Green Party councillor Patricia Patterson-Vanegas, while the latter is a position held by Conservative councillor John Belsey.
Other respondents include someone who identifies themselves as the business’s landlord and others who identify themselves as representatives for nearby businesses.
The Home Office says the premises has been linked to previous civil penalties.
It says a previous company linked to the restaurant, known as Roochi Limited, had been issued with civil penalties totalling £40,000, after it was found to have been employing a total of four people with no right to work in the UK.
The Home Office says the company had been making monthly payments against these penalties, until it ceased doing so in January 2021. The company formally dissolved in May 2023, leaving around £31,270 of the penalties unpaid, the Home Office says.
The Home Office application also notes how Mr Hussain had previously been a director at Roochi Limited. They say he resigned from this position in 2020 and this is corroborated by documents listed on the Companies House website.
The Home Office argues this background puts weight in favour of revocation, as merely imposing additional conditions would be “not proportional as previous breaches linked to the current licence holder have occurred.”
While he remains the premises licence holder and DPS, Mr Hussain is not listed as a director or a person with significant control with Vojan UK Limited.
The Companies House listing for Vojan UK Limited only names one individual; Abdul Goni, a 46-year-old Bangladeshi national, who is both the company’s director and sole person with significant control.
All interested parties will be able to address the licensing panel before it makes its decision. Any decision will also be open to appeal through the Magistrates’ Court system for a short period of time.