The Kerala government has extended the operating hours for bars and beer and wine parlours by two hours. Now, they can open from 10 a.m. to midnight. Further, 5-star and above FL3 licensed bar hotels can stay open until 3 a.m. after paying an annual rent of ₹5 lakh. The order, issued on February 17, 2026, aims to promote MICE tourism, destination weddings, and international conferences. The government plans to amend the Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953, to support this change. Bar owners have long demanded extended hours. The announcement sparked controversy ahead of Assembly elections. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) demanded the government withdraw the move, questioning if it was an election deal. The KCBC said in a press release, "Those who adopted the policy of appeasing the Abkari without consulting the front or even the Cabinet would do well to remember the Bible verse that says, ‘Alcohol bites like a serpent and stings like a viper’." The Church also criticized linking alcohol expansion with tourism, saying, "Tourists come to Kerala not to drink the local brandy. They come to savour the beauty of nature. The number of tourists has decreased not because of the lack of availability of alcohol, but because of the fear of drug users, drunkards, stray dogs and wild animals." The Kerala Catholic Church plans to observe Anti-Alcohol Sunday on March 8. This will include readings and events in Syro-Malabar, Latin, and Malankara Rite churches.