Kerala High Court has fined a man Rs 50,000 for a “reckless, insensitive and insolent” petition seeking a judicial direction to the state-run liquor distributor to home-deliver booze in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

In a writ petition filed on Tuesday, Jyothish G. had contented that the retail liquor outlets run by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation had turned unsafe because of the outbreak and sought an online delivery system to the doorstep of customers.

Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar dismissed the petition and came down heavily on the petitioner on Friday, ordering him to deposit an amount of Rs 50,000 to the chief minister’s disaster relief fund in two weeks.

“The petitioner’s conduct in filing this frivolous petition at a time like this, while making a mockery of the salutary concept of access to justice, which this institution strives to guarantee, also ridicules the function of this noble institution,” Justice Nambiar wrote in his order.

“For the said reckless, insensitive and insolent action, the petitioner cannot be let off lightly,” he added.

Jyothish had in the meantime sought to withdraw the petition, but the court went on to slap the penalty on him.

“One cannot help but lament the selfishness of the petitioner in the instant case, and others like him in society, whose obsession with perceived ‘rights’ blinds them to the obligatory duty that they owe to their fellow citizens,” the court said.

On orders from the state government, the beverages corporation on Wednesday introduced restrictions at liquor stores. Customers have been told to maintain a distance of at least 1 metre from each other in queues. The number of customers in a queue has been limited to a maximum of 30.

The order is being religiously followed by Kerala residents, who even otherwise are famous for patiently waiting in long queues to buy their favourite drink.

After the Left government came to power in 2016 a plan had been in the works to home-deliver liquor during the busy Onam festival in August. But the idea was quickly dropped in the face of strong opposition from the Congress-led United Democratic Front, which had introduced severe restrictions on the sale of liquor and shut many private bars when in power.