Event Summary
On 23 July 2025, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka delivered a landmark judgment affirming the legal limits of executive authority. In a majority decision delivered by a three-judge bench, the Court held that the Proclamation and emergency regulations promulgated by then-Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe in July 2022 constituted a violation of fundamental human rights. These regulations, ostensibly enforced to suppress widespread public protests and reassert state control, conferred sweeping powers upon the police and armed forces, including the authority to arrest and detain without warrant, impose curfews, and prohibit public gatherings.
This ruling was in response to multiple fundamental rights petitions filed by civil society actors, including human rights advocates and former human rights commissioners. The petitioners challenged the legality, proportionality, and constitutional validity of the emergency regulations issued during the height of the 2022 mass protest movement, commonly referred to as the “Aragalaya” (The Struggle). The Supreme Court found that the Proclamation issues under Section 2 and emergency regulations promulgated under Section 5 of the Public Security Ordinance lacked both reasonable justification and legal necessity, and amounted to a disproportionate infringement of constitutionally protected freedoms.
The decision opens important opportunities for civil society to push for broader legal and institutional reforms. In particular, it could serve as a catalyst for reviewing and amending the Public Security Ordinance. The ruling also strengthens the case for institutionalising judicial oversight of emergency powers and offers a robust precedent for future strategic litigation to protect civic freedoms. Civil society actors are now well-positioned to engage in advocacy and legal reform that builds on this legal momentum.