Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Ratnayake defended the legality of liquor licenses issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, asserting that they cannot be revoked without significant legal repercussions. The remarks came in response to Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi MP Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran’s earlier comments calling for action on the matter.
Minister Ratnayake emphasized that while the National People’s Power (NPP) government has not issued new liquor licenses, the licenses granted by the previous administration, especially in recent months, are legally binding documents. “Once a license is issued legally, it is a legal matter to cancel it,” he stated. According to Ratnayake, any attempt to suspend these licenses would lead to potential legal challenges.
He clarified that, although the government has not taken steps to issue new permits, it would not be feasible to cancel those that have already been granted. “Even if we do not agree politically with these decisions, we cannot take the law into our own hands and revoke them,” Ratnayake said. He explained that while administrative measures could be taken to regulate such licenses, outright cancellations could lead to complications.
Ratnayake further reflected on the NPP government’s position of cleaning up what he described as “old garbage dumps,” referring to decisions made by the previous administration, but warned against any illegal actions in addressing the matter.
In related political discourse, President Anura Dissanayake also commented on the government’s rice management efforts, calling out false claims about large-scale mill owners hiding paddy stocks. He rejected claims of hidden paddy supplies, asserting that inspections had found no such evidence. Dissanayake emphasized that the government would maintain a fixed maximum price for rice, and a guaranteed price for paddy would soon be established.
The president added that rice mill owners must comply with the government’s rice management process and release paddy stocks accordingly, warning that the army may intervene if necessary to enforce compliance. Additionally, Dissanayake highlighted that unregistered paddy collection is strictly prohibited.
