SC reserves order on issuing notice to CEB and others over power cuts during A/Ls

The Supreme Court has reserved the order on issuing notice to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and other relevant parties over the contempt case filed by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) accusing them of contempt by violating an order issued by commission to refrain from imposing power cuts during the Advanced Level examination period. 

The case was taken up for the second day today before the three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Gamini Amarasekara, Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Shiran Gunaratne.

After the hearing of the facts presented before the court, the Supreme Court announced this decision.

The HRCSL on January 30 had filed a case of Contempt of Court before the Supreme Court against the Secretary to the Ministry of Energy & Power, the Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

The HRCSL said it has determined that the aforementioned parties have failed to abide by the settlement arrived at before the commission with regard to the continuous supply of power during the period pertaining to the Advanced Level Examination commencing from 23rd January to 17th February 2023.

Issuing a statement, the commission stated that in the aforesaid circumstances in particular the Chairman of the Electricity Board is guilty of the offence of contempt under the provisions of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act No. 21 of 1996. 

The Commission alleges that notwithstanding the settlement arrived by the above parties to provide uninterrupted electricity for the A/L students during the period of the examination, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) willfully and maliciously disregarded the settlement and continued with the power cuts.

However, the lawyers representing the Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) stated before the court that the Human Rights Commission has no legal authority to submit such a complaint.

Therefore, they had requested the court to reject the case.