He categorized the privatisation of gas supply as the act of the mentally retarded and said that those who benefited from that transaction would end in hell.

In a brief but hard-hitting speech at the opening of a special Consumer Court at Aluthkade, the Chief Justice said that the bottom line, the cause of the consumer had become utterly hopeless. "There’s a severe crisis here," he said.

Turning towards Commerce Minister Bandula Gunawardena, a smiling Chief Justice said that the constant criticism of Gunawardene, particularly by cartoonists was reflection of the public mood over the rapidly escalating price of essential goods and services. He particularly referred to cartoons which targeted Gunawardena on the increase of the LP gas and bread prices.

Referring to the tough action taken by the British during the World War II, the Chief Justice asserted that rapid increase of the price of goods wasn’t unusual at the time of war. To meet the rising cost of the ongoing war in the North, the government would have no option but to further burden the people with additional taxes.

The rapid depreciation of SLR (Sri Lankan Rupee) against the USD, British pound and other foreign currencies, he said had a damaging impact on the struggling economy. According to him, the 30-year-old war had sapped the country.

Emphasizing the urgent need to restore peace in the country, the Chief Justice said that he had discussed this with Bishop of Mannar Rt. Rev Rayappu Joseph. "During my visits to Jaffna, I have been welcomed with bigger garlands," he said. He was free to visit any part of the country.

In a candid assessment, the Chief Justice acknowledged that the setting up of the Consumer Court wouldn’t bring down the prices of goods. "This would show our solidarity with the consumer and be our way of being sensitive to consumer woes. But this wasn’t similar to api wenuwen api campaign in support of the armed forces.

He said that Treasury Chief (Dr. P. B. Jayasundera) had been bogged down. The present crisis could have been averted. Due to wrongdoings by everyone concerned, the situation has developed into a staggering crisis.

He lamented the plight of the Tamil speaking people, particularly in the Jaffna peninsula where the sound of artillery could be heard regularly. The Chief Justice briefly discussed his experience during visits to Northern and Eastern provinces where the civilians were undergoing tremendous suffering due to the ongoing conflict.

The Chief Justice also pointed out the difficulties faced by ordinary people in other parts of the country. A case in point was the absence of proper storage facilities for traders based at Dambulla, a major vegetable collection centre.

He highlighted the need to restrict foreign imports. The Chief Justice pointed out the absurdity in spending a massive amount of foreign exchange on the import of tinned fish while having an abundance of fish in Sri Lankan waters. "During a recent visit to Jaffna, I asked a military officer about Thondamannar sea. You know what he said. Can’t get into water Sir, fish will be all around you." He asserted that nothing could be as absurd as this.

Expressing the belief that the future would be good once the war comes to an end, he stressed the importance of handling the proposed exploration of oil in Sri Lankan waters in a transparent manner. He warned that the country wouldn’t receive the expected benefits if fraudulent activities took place.

He said that those who rob the country would end up in hell.