Kochi: "Baffling, surprising and incongruous" is how Kerala High Court on Tuesday termed the non-applicability of the new COVID norms, which require at least one dose of vaccination or a negative RT-PCR test, for queueing outside bars or Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) outlets to buy alcohol when they have to be followed for visiting any other shop in the state.

Why is the government order mandating at least one dose of vaccination or a negative RT-PCR test not older than 72 hours for visiting shops not applicable to bars and BEVCO outlets where people gather in long queues for several hours? Justice Devan Ramachandran asked the state government and said the new guidelines should be implemented in such establishments also.

"It is baffling, surprising, incongruous, that government order of August 4 is not applicable for buying of alcohol. When the government order dated August 4 is applicable to everything else, why not for buying alcohol? Why is it not complied with in bars and BEVCO outlets? I want an answer to this," Justice Ramachandran said.

The court said it was of the view that the government order should be applicable to such outlets also for the additional reason that it "would give an impetus to vaccination". If getting vaccinated is a requirement for buying alcohol, "more and more people would opt for it," the court observed.

Another issue to which the court demanded an answer was whether there existed "small and dingy" liquor outlets in the state which has escaped attention of the excise department when it recently carried out an audit of all shops, including those run by BEVCO, selling alcohol in Kerala. The query was posed to the excise department after Justice Ramachandran came across a "small and dingy" liquor shop, "akin to gambling dens shown in old Hindi movies", where people were seen queueing up to buy alcohol. The court showed the lawyers representing the excise department and BEVCO, photographs of the outlet in question and asked how it was being allowed to function. "This is not how you sell something," the judge remarked and listed the matter for hearing on August 11.

The observations and directions of the court came while hearing a contempt plea which was filed claiming non-compliance of a 2017 judgement of the high court directing the state government and BEVCO to ensure that no nuisance is caused to businesses and residents of an area in Thrissur due to a BEVCO outlet there. On the last date of hearing of the contempt plea, on July 30, the court had said it was time for a different culture in Kerala instead of exhibiting one's urge to have alcohol on the road. It had directed the State government and BEVCO to set up liquor shops in a civilised and cultured manner rather than having them in a shabby manner, saying liquor should be treated like any other commodity instead of like contraband.

The court had said people are scared of such shops coming to their areas as the environment becomes vitiated since the outlets are so dirty.