The Dambulla Magistrate’s Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 510,000 on a restaurant in the Dambulla area after it was found guilty of selling expired drinking water bottles above the maximum retail price.
The case followed a raid conducted by the Matale District Office of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA). According to the CAA, the restaurant had sold water bottles that expired on March 15, 2026, for Rs. 120 each — despite a maximum retail price of Rs. 80 printed on the product.
The CAA urged consumers to check expiry dates before purchasing food or beverages and to avoid paying more than the maximum retail price displayed on products.
The fine adds to a continuing wave of CAA enforcement action against retailers and restaurants for MRP and expiry-date violations in tourist and trunk-route areas. Recent CAA raids have targeted rice and water overpricing across six districts and rice traders fined in Galle for similar offences.
Dambulla, a major stop on the Colombo–Trincomalee and Kandy–Anuradhapura routes, sees high volumes of transit and tourist trade where bottled water sales spike during the dry season.
