The Court of Appeal has granted respondents, including the Commissioner General of Excise, time until October 2 to file objections in a writ petition seeking to prevent the use of rice and sugar as primary raw materials for beer production.

The petition was taken up before Justices R. Gurusinghe and A. Prem Shankar. President’s Counsels K. Kanageeswaran, Sumathi Dharmawardena, and Ali Sabry, appearing for several liquor manufacturing companies, requested additional time to submit objections, which the court allowed.

The petition was filed by a group of licensed liquor vendors, naming as respondents the Commissioner General of Excise and his officials, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the Attorney General, and the Inspector General of Police.

Petitioners argued that Section 2 of the Excise Ordinance defines beer strictly as a fermented liquor made from malt, yet many manufacturers are now using rice and sugar as the main ingredients. 

They claimed this practice violates the law and undermines national economic interests, especially since the government provides substantial subsidies for rice cultivation.

They further contended that diverting rice into commercial industries such as beer production hampers Sri Lanka’s goal of self‑sufficiency in rice and has adverse effects on the economy. 

The petition also criticized the Sri Lanka Standards Institution for failing to update its standards framework to properly monitor liquor production quality.

Accordingly, the petitioners requested the court to issue an order preventing approval for rice and sugar to be used as primary raw materials in beer manufacturing. (Newswire)

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