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# Jaffna’s Lavin’s Restaurant Fined Nearly Rs. 1 Million Over Rs. 200 Bottle of Water
- URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/jaffnas-lavins-restaurant-fined-nearly-rs-1-million-over-rs-200-bottle-of-water/
- Published: 2026-08-27T13:05:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-27T13:06:45.000Z
- Author: Our Reporter
- Tags: August 2026, Monitor Memo

**JAFFNA, Sri Lanka —** A restaurant in Jaffna that had previously drawn attention for its pricing has been fined 950,000 rupees after selling a one-liter bottle of drinking water for 200 rupees, well above the government-set maximum retail price of 120 rupees, Sri Lanka’s Consumer Affairs Authority said.

The Jaffna Magistrate’s Court imposed the fine on Lavin’s Vegetarian Family Restaurant on Aug. 25, following legal action brought by investigators from the Consumer Affairs Authority’s Jaffna district office.

According to the authority, investigators conducting an inspection found that the restaurant had sold a 1,000-milliliter bottle of drinking water to a customer for 200 rupees, despite the stipulated maximum retail price of 120 rupees.

The 80-rupee difference meant the restaurant charged about 67 percent more than the legal maximum.

The restaurant had already attracted criticism over its pricing. Last year, a group of Sinhala tourists publicly complained that the restaurant had charged them 100 rupees each for a single glass of hot water.

The Consumer Affairs Authority said it initiated legal proceedings after its investigators detected the sale above the stipulated price. When the case was taken up before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on Aug. 25, the restaurant was fined 950,000 rupees.

The size of the penalty was striking compared with the amount involved in the transaction: an 80-rupee overcharge on a bottle of water resulted in a fine approaching one million rupees.

The authority said such enforcement actions were intended to curb trading practices that harm consumers, including selling goods above stipulated maximum retail prices, while helping ensure a fair marketplace for businesses that comply with the law.

The Consumer Affairs Authority also urged customers to check printed prices and applicable maximum retail prices before making purchases and to obtain and retain receipts. Such documentation, it said, can serve as important evidence when filing a complaint or during an investigation.

Consumers who encounter goods being sold above stipulated prices or other suspected violations of consumer protection laws can report them to the Consumer Affairs Authority through its 1977 hotline during office hours.