Supreme Court rules 2022 emergency laws unconstitutional

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today (July 23) ruled that the emergency regulations imposed across the country under the Public Security Ordinance by then Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 17, 2022, to control ‘Aragalaya’ protestors, violated fundamental human rights.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court declared that the emergency regulations issued by Ranil Wickremesinghe under Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance, in his capacity as Acting President, were arbitrary and lacked legal force.

The judgment was delivered based on the majority opinion of Chief Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda.

However, Justice Arjuna Obeysekere, who was also on the three-judge bench, delivered a dissenting opinion, stating that the emergency regulations issued by Acting President Wickremesinghe did not violate 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.

The government was ordered to pay legal costs to the petitioners.