FR petition filed against President’s decision to take over SLRC

• Petitioners argue 19A prevents President from taking over more than two Ministries
• Names AG as Respondent instead of President 

By Manopriya Gunasekara 

A Fundamental Rights Petition requesting the cancellation of the Extraordinary Gazette notification which brought the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under the Defence Ministry has been filed in the Supreme Court.

Ven. Dambara Amila Thero and Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuwara filed the FR Petition yesterday. According to the Petitioners, the President, under the 19th Amendment, is only allowed to assign two Ministries to himself.

The Petitioners argued that the Defence Ministry and Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry function under the purview of the President. Therefore, the decision to bring the SLRC under the purview of the President was a violation of the Constitution.

Vidanapathirana Associates, appearing for petitioners, had named Attorney General Dappula De Livera as a Respondent instead of the President. The petitioners requested the Supreme Court to declare the decision to bring SLRC under the Defence Ministry to be unlawful.

President Sirisena on 9 September brought the SLRC under the purview of the Defence Ministry through an Extraordinary Gazette notification.

Subsequently, Non-Cabinet Minister of Mass Media Ruwan Wijewardene accused President Sirisena of repeatedly obstructing his attempts to change the management of SLRC.