Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that fresh notices be issued to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Cabinet members in connection with petitions challenging the government’s Digital ID project.
The case was heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Justice Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Justice Sampath Wijeratne.
The petitions, filed by former minister Wimal Weerawansa and others, seek to annul the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Sri Lanka and India on issuing digital identity cards for Sri Lankan citizens.
Appearing for the Attorney General, Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne told the court that the Cabinet members and other respondents had not yet been served with notices.
Lawyer Kanishka Witharana, representing a petitioner, asked for an early date. The bench directed the petitioners’ lawyers to issue fresh notices and fixed the next hearing for October 17.
The petitions name the President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers and others — 31 respondents in total — alleging the agreements and related Cabinet decisions were taken without parliamentary or public disclosure and threaten constitutional rights, sovereignty, the economy and national security.
They also argue that outsourcing the project to an Indian company contravenes procurement rules and undermines the Registrar of Persons, which has prepared a domestic framework.
Petitioners are seeking orders to invalidate the agreements and Cabinet decisions and to halt implementation of the Digital ID project. (Newswire)
