The Supreme Court today granted leave to proceed with five fundamental rights petitions filed by five individuals part of the people’s struggle claiming their rights were violated during the attack on the protest site in Galleface on the 9th of May.
Accordingly, notice was issued to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, MPs Namal Rajapaksa, Sanath Nishantha, Johnston Fernando, Prasanna Ranathunga, Senior DIG in Charge of the Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Inspector General of Police and several others who have been cited as respondents in the petitions to be present in Court on the 22nd of June 2023.
The petitions were taken up for consideration before justices Vijith Mallalgoda and Janak de Silva.
Following lengthy considerations the bench ordered the petitions to be taken up for examination.
The petitioners charge that affiliates of the respondents carried out the attack on the protest site on the 9th of May and violated their rights.
The petitions call for an order to be issued to the IGP to compile a guideline to prevent such attacks on peaceful protests.
Attorneys representing the petitioners today (9) informed Court that they do not intend on continuing to include former Army Commander Shavendra Silva as a respondent and he was therefore released from the case.