Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal has granted the Commissioner General of Excise and other respondents until October 2 to file objections in a case challenging the use of rice and sugar as primary ingredients in beer production.
The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justices R. Gurusinghe and A. Prem Shankar, extended the filing deadline after legal representatives of several liquor manufacturers requested additional time to prepare their response. President's Counsels K. Kanageeswaran, Sumathi Dharmawardena, and Ali Sabry appeared on behalf of the manufacturing companies seeking the extension.
The writ petition was initiated by a coalition of licensed liquor vendors who have challenged current brewing practices on legal and economic grounds. The petitioners named the Commissioner General of Excise and his officials, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the Attorney General, and the Inspector General of Police as respondents. According to the petition, Section 2 of the Excise Ordinance defines beer as a fermented beverage made from malt, yet manufacturers have increasingly substituted rice and sugar as their primary raw materials.
Petitioners argued that this divergence from the legal definition violates existing legislation and conflicts with national interests. They highlighted concerns that diverting rice into beer production undermines the government's rice self-sufficiency objectives, particularly given the substantial public subsidies directed toward rice cultivation. The petition further raised concerns about the economic implications of redirecting agricultural commodities into commercial beverage manufacturing.
Additionally, the petitioners criticized the Sri Lanka Standards Institution for failing to maintain adequate quality monitoring standards for liquor production. They have requested the court issue an order prohibiting rice and sugar from being approved as primary ingredients in beer manufacturing. The case will proceed with responses due by the October 2 deadline.
