In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court today held that the fundamental rights of citizens were violated when then Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered the dispersal of ‘Aragalaya’ protestors from Galle Face on July 17, 2022, under Emergency Regulations.
Delivering the majority verdict, Chief Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda ruled that the Emergency Regulations issued under Section 2 of the Public Security Act were arbitrary and therefore invalid.
However, Justice Arjuna Obeysekara, delivering a separate judgment, dissented, stating that the emergency declaration did not amount to a fundamental rights violation.
The petitions were filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), former HRCSL Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan, and the Liberal Youth Movement.
In addition to the ruling, the Court ordered the government to cover legal costs of the petitioners, reaffirming the constitutional right to peaceful protest and accountability in the use of emergency powers.
