The Supreme Court has ruled that the islandwide State of Emergency declared on July 17, 2022 by then Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was unconstitutional and violated fundamental human rights.
A majority of the three-judge bench, including Chief Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, held that the emergency regulations issued under Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance were arbitrary and invalid.
The regulations had been enacted to control mass protests during the height of the Aragalaya movement. The court determined that the imposition of emergency law disproportionately curtailed basic freedoms.
However, Justice Arjuna Obeysekera, dissenting, ruled that the regulations did not infringe on fundamental rights.
The petitions were filed by Ambika Satkunanathan, former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, and the Liberal Youth Movement.
The court also ordered the government to pay legal costs to the petitioners. (Newswire)
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