Supreme Court dismisses FR petition by MR

Thursday, 20 March 2025 04:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a fundamental rights (FR) petition filed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa challenging the Government’s decision to reduce his security detail to 60 personnel and request a Court order to restore the original arrangement.

The Court issued this order after reviewing the petition, which was initially taken up for consideration on 6 February with a decision to reconvene on 19 March for further review.

On 24 January, the petition, filed by Rajapaksa’s Attorney sought the reinstatement of his previous security detail, contending that the reduction was made without a proper security assessment.

This legal move follows the Government’s decision to scale back the privileges provided to former heads of State, citing concerns over excessive State expenditure. Under the revised guidelines, the security allocation for former Presidents has been capped at 60 officers.

Representing Rajapaksa, President’s Counsel Ali Sabry contended that security adjustments should be based on a formal evaluation of risks rather than arbitrary decisions.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and other Cabinet members were named as respondents in the case. The petition alleged that Rajapaksa’s security team had been cut down to 60 personnel, with no armed forces personnel assigned to his protection, leaving only Police officers responsible for his safety.

As of November 2024, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security team comprised 180 Police officers, including 29 drivers, in addition to active-duty personnel from the Army and Navy.

On 13 December 2024, Sri Lanka Police Headquarters, in a special statement, revealed that an annual expenditure of Rs. 1.1 billion has been incurred to provide security for former Presidents and out of this the largest share was allocated for the security of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, amounting to over Rs. 326 million annually.

The statement further outlined that the Government has decided to limit the number of Police officers assigned for the security of former presidents to 60. This number will be reviewed periodically by a designated committee, which will adjust the allocation of security personnel based on necessity.

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