Ranil’s emergency regulations in 2022 violated fundamental rights – SC rules

The Supreme Court, in a majority decision, today ruled Fundamental Rights have been violated through then Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s orders to disperse the ‘Aragalaya’ protestors from Galle Face on 17 July 2022, by resorting to Emergency Regulations under the Public Security Act.

The majority of the judges on the three-member bench held that the Emergency Regulations promulgated by the then Acting President under Section 2 of the Public Security Act were arbitrary, and therefore, invalid.

Chief Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda delivered the majority verdict.

However, Justice Arjuna Obeysekara, also a member of the bench, in his separate judgment, stated that the declaration of Emergency Regulations by the Acting President did not constitute a violation of fundamental human rights.

The fundamental rights petitions were filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Ambika Satkunanathan, and the Liberal Youth Movement.

Additionally, the Court ordered the government to bear the legal costs incurred by the petitioners.