The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for January 28 on a fundamental rights petition seeking an order to recover compensation from former ministers who allegedly received unlawful payments for damages to their homes during the islandwide unrest on 09 May 2022.
The petition was filed by social activist and lawyer, Dr. Ravindranath Dabare, challenging the legality of the compensation granted in connection with the island-wide violence.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Defence Secretary Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne, former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former IGP Chandana Wickramaratne, former Ministers of Public Security Tiran Alles and Prasanna Ranatunga, current Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya, current Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijayapala, and the Attorney General are among a total of 15 individuals named as respondents in the case.
The petitioner claims that following the May 9 attack, the previous government paid Rs. 1.22 billion in compensation to 43 individuals, including former ministers whose homes and property were damaged, pointing out that this was revealed in Parliament on February 5 by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.
The petitioner argues that this constitutes a serious misuse of public funds, noting that even in cases of natural disasters, the maximum compensation per person is Rs. 2.5 million.
As such, the petitioner requested the Supreme Court to declare that these payments violated legal procedures and fundamental human rights, issue an order to recover the unlawfully paid compensation, and ensure that any future compensation is based on proper valuation and legal standards. (Newswire)