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Supreme Court issues interim injunction on liquor licence fee hike

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By A.J.A Abeynayake

The Supreme Court (SC)issued an interim injunction yesterday (06) preventing the implementation of the Gazette Notification issued by the Ranil Wickremesinghe government, to increase the annual fees for liquor licences.

The notification, Gazette No. 2024/1, was challenged by the Sri Lanka Liquor Licence Holders Association through a fundamental rights petition. The petition was considered by a bench consisting of Justices Dilip Navaz, Kumuduni Vikramasinghe, and K. Priyantha Perera.

The petitioners’ legal representatives, President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris and Sanjaya Jayawardena, presented arguments in the case. After considering their submissions, the Court granted permission to proceed with the petition.

The petitioners argued that the significant increase in the licence fee by more than 50% — raising the annual fee to Rs. 20 million — would cause them severe injustice and violate their fundamental rights. The petition also named several respondents, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance.

The petitioners were represented by Attorney-at-Law Neelshanta Siriwimanna, and President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris and Sanjaya Jayawardena. On behalf of the respondents, Deputy Solicitor General Rajiv Perera appeared representing the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and other respondents.

The petitioners also requested that the SC to order the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance to issue a directive in line with the provisions of the Gazette Notification issued in 2017, regarding the collection of licence fees.



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Establishment of a Spectrum Management and Monitoring System and a Quality of Service and Quality of Experience System for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka

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Approval was granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 2025-10-21 for the Ministry of Digital Economy and the Department of External Resources to work with the Asian Development Bank as an international development partner for the “Digital Transformation Development Project”.

As a main implementing agency of that project, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) requires a Spectrum Management and Monitoring System as well as a System for Quality of Service and Quality
of Experience). It has been identified that the external funding estimate for this requirement has been identified as USD 9.25 million.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Digital Economy to obtain a “Spectrum Management and Monitoring System” and a “System for Quality of Service and Quality of Experience” for the TRCSL under the ADB-funded Digital Transformation Development Project.

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Appointment of a Committee for the Restitution of Sri Lankan Cultural Heritage Held Abroad

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Under Articles 7 and 13 of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, rights are conferred upon a state to request the return of cultural property belonging to it that is currently held abroad.

According to a proposal presented by the then Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Phase 1 of the
restitution of Sri Lankan cultural heritage was executed in 2023, where 06 artifacts—including the Lewke Disawa’s Cannon, 02 large cannons, 02 Kasthanes (swords) with scabbards, and a knife with scabbard kept at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands—were officially handed back to Sri Lanka.

It has been recognized as appropriate to appoint a steering committee to directly exchange views further with the Dutch committee regarding the artifact restitution process and to advise the Government of Sri Lanka on restitution work regarding cultural property taken from Sri Lanka during the colonial era.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to appoint a committee titled the “Committee for the Restitution of Sri Lankan Cultural Heritage Held Abroad”, chaired by the Additional Secretary (Cultural Promotion and Foreign Affairs) of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, to provide necessary advice to the Government of Sri Lanka during the restitution process of artifacts taken from Sri Lanka.

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Ten-Year National Action Plan on the Social Protection Sector (2026–2035)

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Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22-07-2024 for Sri Lanka’s National Social Protection Policy.

The National Social Protection Strategy was presented to the Cabinet meeting held on 2025-09-15 to practically implement the aforementioned policy, and the Cabinet of Ministers has
determined to order all secretaries to the ministries to take necessary steps to act in accordance with the aforementioned strategy.

The mentioned National Social Protection Strategy is based on four main pillars: social subsidies, social protection, social insurance, the labor market, and productive inclusion.

Accordingly, the National Action Plan (2026-2035) on the social protection sector has been prepared as a tool for the practical implementation of the said strategy. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the joint resolution furnished by the Minister of Labour, Minister of Women and Child Affairs,
and Minister of Rural Development, Social Protection, and Community Empowerment to implement the National Action Plan on the Social for the Social Protection Sector (2026-2035) in line with the National Social Protection Strategy.

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