Issuing of fresh liquor licenses challenged before Supreme Court

Colombo, May 03 (Daily Mirror) - A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking an order restraining authorities including the Excise Department from issuing any new excise licenses to any applicant in violation of the provisions of the Excise Ordinance.

Two members of the Sri Lanka Liquor Licensees Association filed this petition against the Commissioner General of Excise, several other officers of the Excise Department, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, the Director General of the Department of Fiscal Policy, the Ministry of Finance and several others.

The petitioners, Dhananjaya Gunasekera and Nishantha Lakshman maintained that arbitrary and discriminatory grant of new liquor licenses are solely based on political motivations, political pressure or totally irrelevant factors.
They further stated that multiple liquor licenses have been granted to several private individuals and companies without following any rational, reasonable, objective, fair and transparent mechanisms.

The petitioners are further seeking an interim order directing the authorities to forthwith formulate and frame rational and reasonable objectives or scientific criteria for the selection of applicants when issuing new retail excise liquor licenses.

Counsel Nilshantha Sirimanne with Deshara Goonetilleke instructed by Amila Kumara appeared for the petitioners.