The Consumer Affairs Authority has conducted a special island-wide inspection and enforcement programme targeting businesses selling Attapirikara and related Buddhist offerings to protect consumer rights and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
The special programme was conducted on August 10, 2026, with 92 successful raids carried out across the country. In addition, 35 raids had been conducted between January and July, bringing the total number of raids related to Attapirikara and Pirikara sales this year to 127.
During the August 10 operation, officials checked whether the required information was displayed on the relevant products or their packaging in accordance with Order No. 55 of Extraordinary Gazette No. 1918/20 dated June 11, 2015.
Officials also examined bills, invoices and other relevant documents that traders are required to maintain.
Most of the violations detected during the raids were related to Order No. 55. The main violations included failure to display the required information on Attapirikara, single robes, undergarments, waistbands, bowls and other Pirikara items or their packaging.
A total of 436 items, including Attapirikara sets, robes, undergarments, waistbands, bowls and other Pirikara items that allegedly violated the relevant regulations, were taken into the custody of officials.
Instead of examining only the outer packaging, investigators also randomly selected Attapirikara sets, opened them and inspected the items inside.
The inspections revealed several irregularities, including single robes being included instead of double robes, incomplete sets containing fewer than the required eight items, variations in the items according to the price, aluminium bowls, dented bowls and rusted knives.
The Authority has advised consumers to carefully check the contents when purchasing a complete Attapirikara set, particularly for religious purposes, as such irregularities may not be easily identified by examining the outer packaging alone.
The Consumer Affairs Authority is taking steps to institute legal proceedings before the relevant Magistrate’s Courts against businesses found to have violated the law.
The Authority further emphasized that traders are responsible for displaying the required information on products and packaging, ensuring the proper quality of goods supplied to consumers and complying with all relevant legal requirements.
