News

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has officially floated a tender for the procurement of 1,000 new, automatic-transmission, four-wheel-drive diesel double-cabs, marking the state's largest vehicle purchasing attempt following last year's aborted procurement drive.

According to the notice published on 29 September, interested bidders have been given until 22 October 2026 to submit their proposals.

Alongside the fleet of double-cabs, the ministry has concurrently issued separate tenders to acquire 175 tractors, 160 tippers, 100 backhoe loaders, and 100 gully emptiers for state operations.

This updated tender reflects a significant easing of technical and eligibility criteria, designed to broaden market participation and prevent a repeat of the controversies that stalled the previous attempt.

In October 2025, an earlier tender seeking 1,775 double-cabs was abruptly abandoned following widespread allegations that its strict criteria were tailored to favour a single local supplier, particularly given a restrictive submission window of just seven working days.

To address these concerns, the ministry has lowered the minimum engine capacity requirement from 2,500 cc to 2,400 cc, reduced required engine power by 7 per cent, and cut minimum torque standards by 12.5 per cent.

Ground clearance requirements have also been lowered from over 300 mm to more than 220 mm, allowing a wider variety of vehicle models to qualify.

In addition to physical vehicle specifications, commercial and operational eligibility parameters have been adjusted to create a more competitive bidding environment.

Suppliers are now required to demonstrate local sales experience of 500 units of the proposed make, down from the previous threshold of 1,000 units, while the mandatory average annual turnover has been reduced from Rs 10 billion to Rs 8 billion.

Bidders must maintain 10 service centres across the island, though only five must be directly owned, with franchised dealerships now permitted to fulfil the remaining quota.

However, financial backing conditions have been strengthened, with required bid security rising fivefold to Rs 250 million, alongside a requirement for bidders to prove access to Rs 5 billion in liquid assets or credit facilities.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has confiscated 801 reusable plastic bottles during a special inspection carried out at businesses selling such products in the Pettah area.

The Authority said investigations into the seized bottles are currently underway. Once the inquiries are completed, legal proceedings will be initiated against the owners of businesses found to have violated the relevant requirements, with cases to be filed before the Magistrate’s Courts.

The CAA highlighted that SLS 1616 is the applicable standard for reusable plastic bottles intended for carrying drinking liquids.

Under the requirements, reusable plastic bottles manufactured locally must carry the SLS product certification mark issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). Imported bottles are required to undergo the SLSI’s import inspection process and obtain approval before being placed on the market.

The CAA has urged consumers to check whether reusable plastic bottles comply with the applicable standards and legal requirements before making a purchase.

Members of the public who wish to report suspected market irregularities can contact the Consumer Affairs Authority through its hotline 1977.

Sri Lanka’s pharmaceutical market is entering a new regulatory phase as the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) moves to impose maximum retail prices on almost 90 percent of imported medicines.

The Court of Appeal today (30) dismissed, without taking up for hearing, a writ petition filed by Sarvajana Balaya leader and Parliamentarian Dilith Jayaweera challenging a finding made by the Colombo Fort Magistrate in relation to an alleged contempt of court matter.

However, the three-member bench clarified that the dismissal does not affect Jayaweera’s position that he did not commit contempt of court in the main proceedings.

The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justices Chamath Morais and Aditya Patabendige.

In delivering the order, Justice Abeysooriya explained that the finding forwarded by the Magistrate to the Court of Appeal does not amount to a final determination. He said the Court of Appeal would first consider the Magistrate’s finding and issue summons to the respondents only if the court determines that there is a prima facie basis to proceed.

The bench also determined that the Magistrate had the authority to make such a finding under the Contempt of Courts Act, No. 8 of 2024.

Accordingly, the petition was dismissed on the basis that it did not, on the face of the petition, establish sufficient grounds to proceed with a case.

Complaint Against Former Ministers Taken Up

The Court of Appeal also considered today a contempt of court complaint submitted by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court against former ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and several others.

Senior Presidential Counsels Ali Sabry, Manohara de Silva and V.K. Choksy, appearing on behalf of Weerawansa, Gammanpila, Asanga Nawaratne, Mahinda Pathirana, Sugeeshwara Bandara and Dilith Jayaweera, submitted that the Magistrate’s complaint seeking the issuance of summons did not establish a prima facie case against their clients.

The counsel further requested that the respondents be allowed to make their submissions before the Court of Appeal reaches a decision on the Magistrate’s finding.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, representing the Attorney General, told the court that he would assist in the proceedings.

Following consideration of the submissions, the bench directed the Registrar of the Court of Appeal to obtain and place before the court all unedited video footage relevant to the matter ahead of the next hearing.

The complaint was subsequently scheduled to be heard again on October 7.

The Court of Appeal ordered on Monday (05) that the unserved portion of the prison term imposed on Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero for contempt of court be enforced, directing the Commissioner General of Prisons to carry out the order.

The Colombo High Court today (30) issued an arrest warrant for Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera after the Bodu Bala Sena secretary failed to appear before court in a case concerning an alleged statement insulting Islam.

The case was called before the Colombo High Court today, with the court proceeding in the absence of the accused.

As Gnanasara Thera did not appear before the court, the judge ordered that a warrant be issued for his arrest.

The warrant directs authorities to take the monk into custody and produce him before the Colombo High Court.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has been released on bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with money laundering allegations linked to the Airbus case.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena ordered Rajapaksa’s release on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000, along with two sureties valued at Rs. 30 million each.

The court also imposed a travel restriction on the MP and directed that the order be communicated to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.

As part of the bail conditions, Rajapaksa was further ordered not to interfere with or attempt to influence witnesses connected to the case.

The bail order was issued after the SLPP National Organiser had been held in remand custody in connection with the money laundering allegations.

A case brought under the Public Property Act against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake is due to be heard today (30) at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.

The proceedings relate to allegations concerning the alleged misuse of public funds.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which conducted the investigation into the matter, had earlier informed the court that its inquiries had been concluded. The CID also stated that the relevant case documents had been forwarded to the Attorney General for consideration and further action.

Following that submission, Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena directed that the case be taken up today to ascertain the position of the Attorney General regarding the matter.

The court is therefore expected to be informed of the Attorney General’s decision or further instructions when the case is called today.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody, was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (30).

Rajapaksa was brought before the court as proceedings in an ongoing legal matter involving him continued.

The MP appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with the ongoing proceedings.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of cherry-picking economic figures in a recent joint state publication to project an overly optimistic view of Sri Lanka's recovery.

The critique targets the Socio-Economic Data report compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics alongside the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, released ahead of the national budget.

Premadasa said that state institutions violated basic statistical integrity by omitting critical updated figures on public hardship while highlighting positive macroeconomic trends.

Strategic gap in poverty metrics

The Opposition Leader said the publication applies recent data from 2023 through 2025 across its initial pages to present external trade, real gross domestic product, and consumer price indices.

The same updated metrics appear in later sections covering state debt, government revenue, and tourism figures. However, the core middle section detailing household living conditions relies entirely on figures collected between 2016 and 2019.

This outdated timeframe covers vital metrics such as daily per capita food intake, household income, and energy usage, masking the current reality faced by ordinary citizens.

Flawed foundation for budget planning

Premadasa emphasised that no comprehensive household income and expenditure survey has taken place since the national bankruptcy, leaving official poverty estimates fundamentally flawed.

He rejected state calculations suggesting an individual can live on Rs. 17,315 per month as an outright falsehood.

Presenting ancient data to establish conclusions on contemporary living standards marginalizes vulnerable groups and misleads the public.

The upcoming 2026 budget risks relying on deeply skewed figures that obscure the true extent of inequality across the island.

The deliberate suppression of current poverty data in official state reporting undermines the credibility of Sri Lanka's economic planning.

The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has called on parents, guardians and caregivers to exercise greater caution when sharing photographs and videos of children on social media.

The warning comes amid a growing trend of children’s images and videos being posted online, with the expansion of monetisation features on platforms such as Facebook reportedly encouraging individuals and organisations to use such content for commercial purposes.

According to the Ministry, photographs and videos featuring children may be shared to highlight their talents, activities or daily lives, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of their parents or guardians.

Authorities have cautioned that repeatedly posting details of a child’s daily routine, home, school and activities could create risks to the child’s privacy and personal safety.

The Ministry has also highlighted concerns over the misuse of children’s images through artificial intelligence technology. Photographs uploaded to social media can potentially be altered or repurposed to produce explicit or other harmful material.

In light of these concerns, the Ministry has urged parents, guardians and others responsible for children to exercise extreme care before posting any content involving minors online.